do I have to show my identification to law enforcement officers?

Question

Do I have to show ID to officers that ask for it for no apparent reason?
Just because they want to know who I am?
Dont they have to have probable cause?

Answer 1

Unless you want to go to jail I would suggest that you show it to them.

Answer 2

if you are just walking somewhere and have no ID is that different? what if you don't own a car? Is ID required for everyone? If I were a senior citizen walking home would I have been deemed suspicious?

I was walking home one night from a friend's house and a cop drove up next to me and asked where I was coming from then asked for ID.

Another time I was sitting in my car in a well lit shopping center parking lot eating and reading a newspaper. A cop parked behind me and then came to me and asked what I was doing. He ID'd me and told me I "looked suspicious"...sitting in my car, in a well lit parking lot, eating, and reading a newspaper.

I am waiting for the day when the US government tells all US citizens that they have to get the RFID implant. Then the "freedom' USA has will be effectively gone. Freedom is quickly diminishing before their eyes but the spin doctors in office will convince the people that it's a good idea just like they did with the Social Security System.

BTW, FCUK THE POLICE! With exception to my friends who are. They are the ones who tell me what really goes on. One is a State Trooper, another is a K-9 Officer, and another is a 20 year Boston veteran, and another is a Sergent. There's a reason that they are getting rid of the codes.

If police quit assuming all people are bad then maybe they'll get more respect. Shows like "COPS" only promote negative views of Police. Many seem to have a swagger and routinely "push their badge" and use intimidation (read: bully) to get people to comply with laws. It's no wonder they get bad-mouthed when there is more and more evidence of Police brutality caught on video. But they always get away with it because some judge (who is usually a friend of the officer) says it was "reasonable cause".

I considered becoming an officer once but after talking with a few of my police friends I reconsidered. I can't have a job where I would be seen as the "enemy", even if my intentions were for the good of others.

Answer 3

It appears that most people on this blog really don't know what the law is .... and in fact, it varies from state to state. Most people are offering the sensible advise ... always cooperate with law enforcement. But legally, the answer maybe no, you don't have to show ID just because an officer asks for it. Yes, they can detain you, but you can not be arrested, in most states, just for failing to show ID. It is not against the law to not carry ID.

Answer 4

This is a grey area;

In the U.S. you do not have to carry or show any kind of ID to a police officer, as long as you are not in a suspect in a crime. How police prove that you are 'not a suspect' in a crime is debatable. Just being in the area of a crime alone, is not grounds to require ID. However, being in the area of a crime and fitting the description of someone who has committed a crime does require you show ID.

Traffic offenses pretty much always require that you show some ID: License, Insurance, and sometimes vehicle registration.

Answer 5

As I understand it, there was a Supreme Court case about a pedestrian and that does give protection against police stops. Police react to any citizen complaint. If a store owner says there is a group of young boys disrupting business, then the police can investigate violations of vagrancy.

However, driving a car is a privilege and not a right and in the case of using a public thoroughfare with a state issued license, you must comply with the request of the police to show identification. Otherwise, you get a free ride downtown until they can identify you. Not sure what the Patriot Act did to those pedestrian situations.

Answer 6

I'd like to expand on a previous post and say that if police are not fobidden by the Constitution from "demanding that a suspect give his name when he has been stopped due to a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity." The key words here are "reasonable suspicion" and "give your name." You can most easily give your name by showing an ID, but I suppose if you provide correct information - i.e. your name, you might have an argument.

Answer 7

if a cop tells you to stand on your head for ten minutes and you don't do it they call "disobeying the lawful order of an officer." And that is a criminal infraction. -True story.

Kinda makes you wanna contribute to the fraternal order of police, eh?

pathfinder provides a good point. If you do ANYTHING they don't like,say biting your nails, it can also be calles "suspicious activity" which means you are guilty until proven innocent. And in the states you do have the obligation to prove that you are not suspicious.

Answer 8

At Wesleyan University in Connecticut, a couple years ago, four students refused to show ID to a cop asking for it, just because they were walking around late at night, looking suspicious.

Next thing we know, they were arrested and the news were really made when the complaints were filed against the cop.

Bottomline, NO. You don't have to.

Answer 9

In most states (State of Washington specifically) it is required by law to show I.D. upon demand. If you don't have any the officer has the option of detaining you, and running a national fingerprint check... up to 48 hours.

You are NOT required by any law to respond to questioning. Your "Miranda" rights are ALWAYS in effect.

Answer 10

In the U S, yes.
Any time, anywhere an officer asks to see your ID, you have to show it.
They won't ask just because they're bored. They have a reason behind the action whether you know it or not.

Answer 11

i dont think so....
in greece and belgium you have to show when they ask.
traveling around i know that i am obligated to present papers of id (passport) whenever and wherever they ask me for it.

in greece you are actually obligated by law to carry your id on you at all times and you can get dragged to the station for id check.