What evidence is needed for the police to give you an underage?

Question

I was at a party where most of the people were 21. Me and a few others were under 21. The cops busted the party and as people were leaving they had to show ids. Mine was in an apartment across the hall, and the police saw I was underage. I got all my information written down. However, they did not breathalize me or even see me holding alcohol of any kind. They said they would send a citation to my house, but they did not say what it was. I am not a minor, but I am underage. Can they give me an underage just for being somewhere that of age people were drinking?

This happened in Pitssburgh, Pa by the way. At my brother's apartment. He and most people there are 21.

Answer 1

It depends on where you are. The assumption can be made that you were drinking, but they failed to obtain proof of that. Talk to the Public Defender's Office or Legal Aid for specific answers in your case.

Answer 2

It is the job of the police to maintain LAW and ORDER.

Sometimes ORDER is more important than LAW.
The police make judgement calls based on the appearance of people.

Let's suppose you were at a party where someone was consuming illegal drugs. The police can arrest everyone who is at the party.

Let's suppose someone is below legal age to have alcohol, and there's some 21 and over at the party ... they can be arrested, even though they did not bring the alcohol, did not serve it, did not know this going on ... you are at a place where something illegal going on ... you either stop it, you leave, or you take your chances being arrested.

Suppose you in a car, and some other occupant does something bad, they can arrest you for being accomplice, so pick your friends carefully.

When you are a kid, you have no need to carry any id on you, thus when the police find someone without any id, they make a judgement call about that.

As we get older, there's all kinds of documents we are required by law to have on us.

If we drive, we had better have our driver's license, proof of insurance, proof of legal right to drive that car.

Even though the USA no longer has a draft, I have a draft card that was issued to me when there was a draft, and I was told at the time that I was required by law to have it on me at all times (when I am not dressed, my wallet in jacket coat is in same apartment) until such future time that I no longer eligible for the draft.