“But first politely ask what crime you are suspected of.”
I think that is very bad advice.
Let me explain.
If a cop walks up to you what is the outcome you want?
You want the encounter to end as quickly as possible with no adverse consequences to you.
The best strategy for that is to politely comply—with your mouth shut.
That increases the odds of reaching your goal.
Being right can equal being street-dumb. This is a good example of that rule.
> You want the encounter to end as quickly as possible with no adverse consequences to you. The best strategy for that is to politely comply—with your mouth shut. <
I will not argue against that strategy. As I noted earlier, to each his own.
But it’s not for me. If I’m walking down a sidewalk (or wherever), and a cop stops me and demands ID, I’d immediately want to know why. I’d ask, politely. Not just because I’m talking to a cop. I try to be polite with everyone.
Notice that I would not automatically refuse to identify, or become belligerent.
That truly is a losing strategy.
Now here’s where it would get interesting. Suppose the cop tells me I must ID because I look suspicious (or something else equally vague). The Supreme Court has already ruled that you don’t have to ID in that case.
Would I ID? I guess it depends on the particular situation.
Oh, and here’s a question for you. It’s not all that different from the ‘requesting ID’ scenario. Suppose you are stopped for speeding, and the cop asks to search your car.
Would you consent to a search?
For me, that would be a hard no. Always.