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Originally Posted by snarkophilus
It sounds like the obstruction charge is for not giving the officer his name, which should be his right. It's akin to unreasonable search and seizure. If he's not being charged with a crime, then he should not have to say or do anything.
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In the US, police can stop just about anyone at any time, and it's legal. Sort of. The officer needs to have some suspicion about the person to justify it.
Here are the reasons for a justified stop, from
this page.
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A stop is justified if the suspect is exhibiting any combination of the following behaviors:- Appears not to fit the time or place.
- Matches the description on a "Wanted" flyer.
- Acts strangely, or is emotional, angry, fearful, or intoxicated.
- Loitering, or looking for something.
- Running away or engaging in furtive movements.
- Present in a crime scene area.
- Present in a high-crime area (not sufficient by itself or with loitering).
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In the case of the guy headed down the street in a wheelchair, I'd say #1, and maybe 3 could apply. #3 does leave room for abuse, because what is strange to the officer might not be strange to the subject. If that guy wheeled himself down that road every day for the last 4 years, it's normal to him. The officer is used to people stopping when he asks them to. When this guy didn't, it could have been "strange behavior".