Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in New Jersey

The issue is were they reasonable. Why was he stopped? What were the accusations? Generally during any "stop", the police are entitled to do a "pat down". Did they feel something in his pants while patting down? Face it, people put things down their pants. Was he wearing baggy pants? Did someone say they saw him put something down is pants? Was he able to turn his pockets inside out? There are too many variables to give you any definitive answer. I understand people feel violated by pat down and searches. I will say this, some cops violate the spirit if not the letter of the law sometimes, but most do not. If your son ended up a cop, every time you talked to him, you'd tell him to stay safe, and with any stop, one of the things police need to do to make sure they do not get shot, stabbed, or stuck with a dirty needle, is to pat down, search, and be careful. We all need to see things not just from our perspective, but from others.