From what I understand it is well within your rights to refuse to identify yourself unless you are being arrested (may vary by state). That said, you aren't going to make any friends that way.
I believe it varries by state. I remember during my academy training, we discussed the topic because there was a court case in [IIRC] Utah over that very subject. I'm very very fuzzy on it, but I think basically you HAVE to tell them your name and indentifying information if asked (i.e. SSN#) but you don't have to show your physical identification. Of course, this all applies in a valid stop.

But I think the subject is being confused here. This wasn't a criminal stop (or at least, it doesn't sound like it was). Just because you're a cop, you don't need to have "resonable suspision" to stop and talk to someone. You just cannot detain them. Now when he stopped to talk to him, and the guy became obstonate and uncooperative, that could (theoretically) give resonable suspision that something's wrong, so then the officer is entitled to his identifiying information. (I'll admit, this is a theoretical version of what might have happened).

Obviously, since I was not there and did not see exactly how this played out, I can't say for sure who's wrong or right. The officer very well could have been a total [a-hem] and he could have been the one that became confrontational. Who knows?

All I can do is point out some of the aspects that the article doesn't.

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