In the US, a no-knock warrant requires no such identification. Cops kick in the door–at which point I believe they’re *supposed * to yell “Police”–and swarm in with guns drawn. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1939/a10.html?361
They’re a bad idea, and innocent people do get hurt because of them. But they help nab drug users/dealers–who everyone knows are the scum of the earth–so they’re AOK, right? :rolleyes:
This cite seems somewhat slanted, but it was the first hit on google. Regardless, no-knock warrants are a reality, as is the damage they’ve caused in some instances.
Running is an incredibly stupid thing to do. Even if you are innocent of everything under the sun, running from the police will land your ass in a big sling.
If you are “innocent of everything under the sun,” such that there is no reasonable suspicion that would justify a police detention, what osrt of “sling” do you imagine might result from running?
I don’t know what specifically Clothahump imagined in his/her scenario (and IANAL), but if an officer had already informed you that you were under arrest, and you then started to run away … isn’t that resisting arrest?
I mean, I would use the phrase “attempting to evade arrest” to more properly categorize running away from a cop, but I’ll bet legally such an act falls under “resisting arrest.”
But if a cop has NOT informed you that you are under arrest, but you just happen to run away from cops by instinct (maybe you hate the look of powder blue shirts, for instance) … then that’s hardly resisting arrest.
It depends. In most states, it is. In those states in which you have a right to resist an unlawful arrest, it isn’t.
Of course, this assumes, as Clothahump did, that the arrest is in fact unlawful.
Note that I am not remotely urging this course of action upon anyone: it’s much better to let even an unlawful arrest happen, knowing that the issue can be determined in court.
Well, the same kind of sling that, say, a president gets in when he’s incorrectly accused of wrong-doings and then he makes the mistake of lying about them. He ends up indicted for lying and no one notices that he’s not found guilty of any of the original charges and shouldn’t have been put in the position in the first place.
Unfortunately, that’s just the way the system works. Even if you are innocent of the original charges, the authorities can easily trick you into committing crimes later.
“…Jillian D. King, 30, is charged with criminal recklessness resulting in injury in connection with the Jan. 14 wounding of Muncie police officer Steve Cox. He was one of 11 SWAT team members about to raid King’s home when she allegedly fired shots out of a window. Cox has since recovered.”
Now what it seems like is the cop in question was part of a S.W.A.T. team who was attempting to serve a warrant on Ms. King’s house. But Ms. King saw a bunch of masked people with guns trying to breech her house & opened fire.
When interrogated her interrogator said
“In the videotape, detectives told her that the SWAT team didn’t need to knock and announce.
‘The law doesn’t say you have to,’ Muncie Police Investigator Jeff Lacy said while questioning King on video tape. ‘They are going to sneak in.’
During the trial, Lacy testified that he had lied to King in the videotape as an interrogation tactic.”
What a scumbag, i was interrogated by him before (for a crime i didn’t commit mind you) and i caught him in tons of lies. God i hate that bastard.
In Texas, you cannot resist arrest regardless of its legality. It’s a crime.
It’s not unheard of for someone to be arrested and charged only with resisting arrest, and that has led to some abuse. A musician I know was yanked off stage and arrested for public intoxication after saying something vaguely smartassed to HPD while performing at a festival . When it was later revealed that he was a recovering alcoholic and hadn’t had a drink in five or six years, the charge was changed to resisting arrest. This guy weighs about 130 pounds soaking wet and he was “resisting” these two linebacker sized officers. Riiight.
I, while “innocent of everything under the sun”, have been felony busted. Being totally docile and compliant got me nothing. Next time I’ll at least consider the flight option.
It sounds as if an arrest made in error (more or less) can’t legally be resisted. Quote, “There’s a remedy at law for everything.” And arrestees couldn’t in reason be given the choice just to state it’s all unlawful, and they are going home.
But what if you have heard some ugly stories about Officer Bully McHostile, and you are (pick one-- A: an Optimistic Young Fella who has been flirting with McHostile’s girlfriend and just realized it, or B: a Sweet Young Thing minding her own business), and you are alone after dark and Officer McHostile slams you against your car accusing you of something you and he both know there is no basis for.
Assuming you see some opportunity of escaping McH, can you use it? And what to do next…head straight for the police station, ask for the Captain, turn yourself in with an explanation…?
