Which would not be indicative of an arrest?

• A. Miranda rights read
• B. Terry pat-down just searching for weapons
• C. Being charged with a crime
• D. Being placed in handcuffs

Answer: (B)

A key idea is telling apart an arrest from a brief investigative stop. A Terry pat-down is a protective frisk conducted during a short stop when an officer has reasonable suspicion of danger; it is not an arrest and the person is not formally in custody just for the frisk. The other indicators point to custody or formal processing: Miranda rights are typically read when a person is in custody and being questioned, which implies arrest-like custody; being charged with a crime shows formal processing after an arrest; and being placed in handcuffs is a strong sign of being taken into custody. So the action that would not indicate an arrest is the Terry pat-down for weapons, because it occurs during a stop, not after custody has been established.