WTF!?!?!?

[nyyki]

Nothing makes a holiday special like getting a ticket.

The Smal town cop asks me, the passenger, for my driver's license. I tell him that I don't have it, but it shouldn't matter since I'm not planning on driving.

He tells me, "If you have a state issued ID you are required to carry it at all times."

I'm floored. If this is actually true, I'm in the wrong country. How could something like this happen in the great state of Texas?

Comments

The other side of the coin...

[amyboyd.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a law that if you fail to produce ID, an officer can ticket you. I've learned this all to well with trying to eliminate undesirables from my life. The guy who threatened to kill me recently is still on the run because he doesn't have an ID, and therefore when he is stopped, cops don't know who he really is...or the 9 felonies he committed over the past 9 years.

It's designed to give cops a reason to bring someone in if they think a particular person is 'shifty' but they can't pin an actual crime on him. Sorry it happened to you, but I bet if you can prove you have a valid ID, then the judge will let you off.

Re: The other side of the coin...

[nyyki.livejournal.com]

This is a major upheaval in the freedoms of the United States.

And he at least didn't ticket me for no ID -- It was only a seatbelt charge.

[lihan161051.livejournal.com]

Amy's right, although the police usually only use this when they come across someone who is acting hinky but they can't cite them for anything else. Failure to produce ID is usually the closest secondary offense they cite for.

However .. this particular statute is used extensively against protestors in situations where they're in conflict with the police. Most protestors aren't stupid enough to carry any ID with them, and so the police usually charge protestors with this. Doesn't make much difference in that case, but it can be a major hassle.

I suppose any law can be abused, though ..a