If I found myself in a police encounter without proper ID in Deutschland, I would be in a jam. Having spent quite a bit of time in the (then) FRG, my personal observations can attest that the Polezei (at least back then) would typically only ask nicely *once*. After that, it was your @$$ paying for your stupidity...
I don’t see anything objectionable in this report. The law worked like a *charm*. Hager was properly challenged and then arrested when he failed to adequately comply. His charges were dropped when he satisfied the court.
I just don’t see any problem here.
Matter of fact, I can’t think of any country I’ve ever traveled in or through that would simply allow me, as an obvious non-native, to walk if I couldn’t ID myself with an officially recognized document/passport/ID card bearing the appropriate stamps/travel auth/etc.
UNTIL RECENTLY: America is the only place I’ve been where cops would have to come up with some other P.C. besides “No ID” if they challenged me walking down the street. Without a D.L., I’d typicallly just get a ticket and not be allowed to drive away, but I ‘d be allowed to call a licensed driver. Any other country I’ve been through — I’d have hands laid on me and not be able to just walk away without some grief to one extent or another.
Nowadays, our wide-open, “walk across” borders are only as secure as our neighboring country’s “port of entry” checks.
I don’t mean that we should emulate those other countries; but there has to be some common-sense security-minded precaution available in these situations. I think the AL law is (so far) proving itself both reasonable and prudent.