Required id

[fromLA]

Hey, guys. For Ca, if an officer stops me on foot, and I am not anywhere near my car, do I need to show him id or is it only if I have done something against the lAw. Do I need to carry id when walking around the city in general? I would of course show my id but I have heard that only if stopped for a violation must somebody produce their id. Thanks.

[Kimble]

If an officer stops you, they probably have a good reason (I've never stopped anyone on duty just because I could). If you have an ID on you, provide it to the officer if they ask for it. If they ask for ID and you don't have one on you, answer whatever questions he has honestly so the officer can check whatever he/she is stopping you for and have you on your way.

You're not legally obligated to carry a state ID to walk down the street, but common sense should dictate that if you cooperate and answer whatever questions the officer has for you your life will be interrupted far shorter than if you try to cause the officer problems and not cooperate.

[Legoate]

The problem with only cooperating with the police when you think you may have done something illegal comes when we have a legal reason to detain you and you don't know what it is. You resist the detention believing you are in the right and your quality of life suddenly goes downhill quickly. Just because you didn't do anything illegal doesn't mean you cannot be lawfully detained.

For example a bank is robbed, you match the description of the suspect and are in the immediate area of the bank when I arrive. In your mind you have done nothing illegal. However, I can lawfully detain you until I determine you are not involved.

Now instead of cooperating, you decide to run off. Can you see how things might not go well for you?

[G35 Mass]

...and your quality of life suddenly goes downhill quickly.

Now one of my top-5 favorite quotes. I love it.

Cooperation is almost always the best choice. By "almost always" I'm taking 99.9991% of the time. "I know my rights" when you really don't is a quick way to make an encounter go down hill and last a lot longer.