ABSTRACT
A seizure is a taking of a person's liberty, life, or property usually by the government. The legal concept of "seizure" is governed primarily by the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, to some extent by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, and by certain decisions of the US Supreme Court. A taking or seizure of a person by the government can occur in a number of circumstances and can vary in degree, severity, and complexity. All seizures are subject to the requirement that they cannot be "unreasonable." In the least severe seizure of a person, commonly known as a "Terry stop," after the Supreme Court decision in Terry v. Ohio, 392 US 1, the government may briefly seize or detain a person based on a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity. The Terry stop must be limited in duration and scope.
