[Hugin]

Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a casual “show your ID” request on a boardwalk, a stop-and-frisk search on a city street, or a traffic stop for speeding or just to check your insurance: if you feel like you can’t walk away from a police encounter of your own volition—and more often than not you can’t, especially when you’re being confronted by someone armed to the hilt with all manner of militarized weaponry and gear—then for all intents and purposes, you’re under arrest from the moment a cop stops you.

OK, he lost me there. Obviously if a cop stops you to write a ticket for an infraction(speeding ticket) you can't just "walk away". That doesn't make you under arrest, it just means you have to stick around and take the ticket in lieu of being arrested and hauled before a judge. If you could walk away, arrest would be the only way to enforce traffic laws.

How about some common sense on both sides of the police militarization issue? A lot of people do stupid things in encounters with cops, and get themselves arrested for good reason. And a some cops have bad attitudes and abuse innocent people. But 99.9% of police/citizen interactions don't involve either; citizens cooperate, and police do their job properly.

[hal ogen]

I’d say the 99.9% is a bit of a stretch.

[Starstruck]

But 99.9% of police/citizen interactions don't involve either; citizens cooperate, and police do their job properly.

Interesting. 99.9%. I had 2 confrontational stops when I was a teenager. I was neither confrontational or charged with anything. Probably a good thing I wasn't black. I do admit that I couldn't afford the newest car.

[knarf]

Look up “arrest” ... you’ve been arrested ... you’re ‘under arrest’ ... it’s called English.

[jmacusa]

From past personal experience I know that if a cop is questioning you that’s called ‘’being detained’’. When they put the cuffs on you that’s called ‘’being under arrest’’.