Can you be arrested for just lying to the police?

Today my friend got stopped in her car by police and i was with her. as usual she gave her sisters name and told me to say the same, so when asked, i did. usually they then let her go. only this time, they brang out a fingerprint machine and found out she was lying and then arrested her for no driving licence. then the police officer came over to me and opened the car door and said 'u lied to me', and admittedly i rudely replied 'sorry i didnt realise i was under oath'. with my head out the car door, he then slammed it almost hitting my head if i did not move it out quick enough & he did this knowing im 3months pregnant! he then came back and told me im lucky that im not being arrested! i asked his name and which police station he was from because i wanted to report him which he refused to give me! can u be arrested for lying over something such as a name?
Additional Details
First of all I did not ask this question for abuse in return. Secondly was you there? Of course I told him I was pregnant before, so don't go assuming. Thirdly, yes I admit that I was cheeky with my reply but was not at any time physically or verbally abusive so that is no justification for slamming the car door at me like that. If he was frustrated at me for lying he could have handled it in a professional manner. Also obviously I was naive but I honestly didn't realise it was a big deal to lie about a name to the police.

fredrick z

Yes If it is an obstruction of justice.

vladoviking

You should really be asking "Why do I have friends who would involve me in nefarious activity?"

$martA$$.com

oh ya you can be its called false identification..you are basically stealing someones idenity. just like you can go to jail for lying in court..

laughter_every_day

1. You weren't arrested
2. You weren't hit by the car door.
3. No law requires cops to be overly polite.
4. Yes, there are lies that can get you arrested. For instance, giving a fake name can sometimes amount to obstructing or resisting an officer in the performance of his duties.

Dr. Cioc

I think that is called obstruction of justice and it can be widely used in different matters.

Annie

Yeah, you really can't lie to a police officer its consider obstruction of justice. If you want to file a complaint than go ahead, but he can file charges against you for obstruction of justice, an accomplice to your friend crime. So you got off easy.

alex m

Yes it is called false informing.

ducky

yes

maybe next time you should have some respect for the law.

Robert S

rudely replied 'sorry i didnt realise i was under oath',

Why would you do that ? Way to set up a first impression.

Anyway, you are required by law to identify yourself (honestly)when an officer asks. Or provide ID. The whole basis of our system relies upon the honesty and integrity of us all. Yes, you could be arrested for false identification or resisting/obstructing. Its up to the officer

gargoyleboy2001

Yes... giving false information to the police is a crime. In the instance you described you could also be charged with being an accomplice to your friends crime as well. I would drop the complaint if I were you.

telluwat

yes, it is fraud.

if she got a ticket it would go on her sister's record which is also illegal.

your lying for her makes you an accessory. you are lucky you did not go to jail.

being a smart a** did not help matters.

all police have their badge showing, it is mandatory, you could have gotten his number and called the station to ask for help. you can also look on the arresting slip he made out for your friend, or call 411 for the police station that is in the town you were in. you can find out the precise one by asking the cop for the number for the area you were stopped.

LittleBarb

Well well well, first off, lying to a police officer IS not something you'd want to do---giving a false report or statements IS a punishable crime... now, you STATED YOURSELF that you "RUDELY REPLIED......." well heck, if he wanted to slam the car door, he had every single RIGHT to slam the car door ---you had NO RIGHT to be rude to the cop!!!! Now as far as him knowing you were preggers... UNLESS YOU CAME OUT AND TOLD HIM SO, how would he have known??? did you have on a T-shirt that said--"HEY COP I'm 3 months PREGNANT?"...... you WERE lucky you weren't arrested... and your friend obviously has a history of giving false statements to the police SINCE YOU SAID SHE DID... so she deserved what SHE got as well. You did something wrong little girl----be happy you didn't get worse (ARRESTED).... the cop did his job.... GROW UP!!!

El Scott

It's called Resist Obstruct and Delay a Police Officer in my jurisdiction. You knowingly obstructed the officer from performing his duty by aiding your friend in deceiving him about her drivers license while he was conducting a traffic stop. I would have arrested you.

It takes a special kind of person to screw over their sister by giving her identity on a traffic stop.

siamsa_siamsa

Depending upon which state you are in you could have been charged with False Informing or Obstruction of Justice which are both typically misdemeanors. Yes it does sound like the police officers' conduct was unprofessional but at the same time if you were/are thinking about your unborn child then you should cooperate with the authorities when asked.

iamjem93

You knew it was wrong to lie about your name to a cop. But you did it anyways and you did not care who you could have hurt in the process (your friends sister). Let me guess, this whole thing caused you trauma and now you want a cash payout from the police.......

NoAmnesty4U

Yes, it is a crime. Obstruction of justice at the very least. "As usual" indicates your friend's lack of compliance with the law on a repetitive basis. How would her sister like it if the police came to her home to investigate further? Or yours? Giving false information to the police is a strong indicator of guilt. The officer was right, you got a lucky break when they declined to arrest you. Earn it and stay out of situations like that in the future.

jennifer74781

Absolutely. I can't believe he didn't arrest you.

If you give a police officer a false name - you can absolutely be arrested.

tacomadc

Yes, you are lucky you're not being charged.

yes indeed!!

ohiofirefighter42

Absolutely, supplying false information to a police officer is a crime in most states.

.. .this can't be good

While it would be a huge waste of time and money, technically, yes they could charge you with making a false statement and giving a false name to police. They could even stack it into attempting to evade or aiding - depends on how mad they get. You were NOT under oath, but you are required by law to correctly identify yourself to police. That is ALL you have to tell them, without an attorney, and should they ask you any thing else, PLEASE don't talk any more. Get an attorney and say no more.

He MUST give you his name and badge number if you asked. This doesn't sound like a good case to me. You need a good attorney.

kimmy_baby07

Yeah and you can face jail time for it too.

Lil' Kim went to jail for lying as well. I can't remember if it was police or a jury though.

che_lives

those of us that drive legaly can get away with giving them the information that's required and telling them "none of your business" to any other questions they might have, passengers are'nt required to talk to them or give any info at all. fact is the police in this country are abusive and they need to be put in their place, next time just sit there and say nothing, you won't be breaking any laws.

escort

If a policeman asks, is that your house or are you renting, do I have to tell him. I said, I dont want to tell you that, as I dont want anybody to think that I have money. He, said oh you have attitude and are hardegaat with me. Your see what happens to you if you want to be hardegaat with me. Answer the question, its a simple question, like if I ask somebody if, thats their car or not.,

nichole1991

1st of all he probably slammed the door in your face because you lied to him. You have to realized that he is a cop and have to deal with people like you and your friend lying to him all day over stupid stuff like lying abou a name or lying about some serious. 2nd honey if your pregnant maybe you shouldn't be lying to the police officers. And so what if he slamed the door in your face, don't for get you said your face. I can see that if you we're standing between the car it self and the door and he did that. Than he'll yeah report him. Your lucky you didn't go to jail for lying to a police officer.

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