If a police officer says you're breaking the law, is he obliged to show you that law?

vrandolph62

visit your local city hall. no, a police officer is not obliged to show you the law he's citing you for violating in print. the officer is required to enforce the law and nothing more. if you want to dispute the citation you're getting, you must go to court and talk to a prosecutor/judge about your concerns. hope this helped. EDIT: give me all thumbs down, i really don't care, these are the facts. the rights of the police officer, etc., can best be learned from an attorney, or by going to school for a degree in criminal justice. that is where all the answers to all your questions lie. it sounds to me like you are on the brink of a career change. maybe you should really and honestly consider a career in criminal justice, be it as a police officer or attorney. think about it. feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk about this further. best of luck to you.

David H

No, If the police officer can tell you the section of code you are violating that is sufficient. You can look this stuff up at your local library.

DOOM

It seems to me that is what court is for.

Gabriel

No he is not obliged. No he is not required to show you, nor is he required to 'quote the specifics' etc. For the person who said this is a good question....NO this is not a good question.
Plain and simple, ignorance of the law is not a viable defense in a court of law. If you are wrongfully arrested or imprisoned, get a lawyer and sue for millions. Its that simple.

To the idiot who mentioned Miranda Rights: NO the officer does not have to read you Miranda Rights. The only time they are required to read you that is prior to any questioning which they reasonably believe will incriminate you. Read a book and stop watching Law and Order.

mykes_

it's not.

I know I'd hate to hear this. But the officers word will be held above yours.

ausdingo1

no he doesn't.....you expect him to carry a library around in his squad car?
If he arrests you for something then it had better be an actual law or you would have a case for abuse of authority.

Dirtymagerty

As far I know, police do not have to whip out the penal code in front of you and show you what law you are breaking. They are suppose to be professional.

You can find the laws of the land in different places, but the penal codes can usually be found in centralized location.

DK439

That would only be in court...not on the streets.

leslie S

No the officer does not have to show you the specific law.

If you don't believe him look it up. Most states have their laws posted on the net, not all but most. Some, like Illinois, have contracted with private companies to keep things current. The companies charge. Your local library may have the state law.
There are also county and municipal laws.
Asking a lawyer won't help because they don't know, they do know how to look it up, just like a cop does. Both only know the basics and the specifics that apply to what they normally do.
In my jurisdiction the state and city law books I subscribe to take up a large book shelf. They are in loose leaf binders because I get updates twice a year. I pay $150 a year for the privilege of being able to look up the laws.

Pagan Dan

Think about what you're saying. A constable on foot patrol would need a couple of donkeys to carry all the law books.

No motorcycle officer could do his or her job, because the lawbooks wouldn't fit in the sidecar.

Patrol cars would have to be station wagons, because all the law books wouldn't fit in the trunk of a regular sedan.

There is plenty you can do to do deal with an officer abusing his or power. Comply with whatever you are instructed to do, get his or her name or badge number, and file a complaint.

Opinionated

No, they do not have to show you the law. I would not take their word for it though. Use the internet and research the law. Cops have been known to be wrong - sometimes willfully. Every law has what are called elements of the offense, and they must all "be met" in order for the charge to "stick".

Just me.

Officers usually writes the violation(s) down for you , on the ticket(s).

You can find the laws by just searching key words " ( your state) laws.gov "---->> via the web .

Natasha B

He or she does not have to show you its their job to enforce not to teach
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it

(I'm not being an @ss I'm just telling you what a cop told me 12 years ago)

cnote78z

No the officer isn't required to prove a violation at that time. At the time he was sworn in as a cop he took an oath to uphold the law which he is SUPPOSED to know. When you get pulled over and get a ticket - the officer is more than likely correct. As much as I hate to admit it. If he is wrong, the city attorney will waive the ticket and it will be dismissed.

fade_this_rally

His job is to enforce the law, not to show you in print the laws violated...that is for the judiciary system.

buster

Nope, that's what your lawyer is for.

onehotmarinecorpsmomma

Most of the laws that are broken are broken over and over again...so I'm sure the cop knows what he is saying/doing.

Plus it's not up to him to explain the law...that's what courts are for.

ahsoasho2u2

When you go through the academy, you are taught the major crimes and traffic codes.
Criminal Section, civil section(domestic Violence) and traffic codes.
I personally carried around a book of codes for traffic to make sure I got the right code cited.
Later in the 80's we came up with a small book of cites for felony, misdemeanors and traffic which contained the code numbers and charge.

WarDruid

The officer is versed in law, else he or she would not be authorized to uphold it....you will just have to take the word of the cop and deal with it or you could get cuffed and stuffed for disorderly conduct if you happen to get verbally abusive or just stupidly loud.
The officer does NOT, has never been will never be, required to show you in print "this or that "law.... if you get a ticket or taken to jail, the officer will appear in court to tell the judge why you were arrested or ticketed. You have the right to plead as you will, but pleading Not Guilty / Not Guilty with an Explanation can get you pretty well screwed if you were absolultly in violation of the law.
You can go to the nearest library to check up on local, county and state laws.

Reverend LSDetour

You must have lost your mind. Uh, no they don't have to show you in writing. Chances are if you got a ticket you did something wrong. If you have a court date set, well ask the judge then what the "specific" wording of the law you broke was.

Second. Check your state's government website for laws in your state.

El Scott

There is no requirement for me to show you a printed version of the law. There are checks and balances in place (trial by judge or jury) that prevents you from being prosecuted for non-crimes.

Lov4nzyx2

No they don't have to show it to you in print, you do have to "take their word for it". That's silly, there are so many laws they can't carry them all around. They would just have to tell you what law it is (Ex: you're trespassing), if they write you a summons the ordinance # would be on the ticket. You can look up a lot of laws online. Your best bet is the public library. Laws that were recently passed are probably more quickly found online. As far as how officers keep up on new laws, that is something that our desk books (something we read before each shift) or e-mails are for. My dept sends out e-mails from the prosecuting attorney's office, etc. on them. Some officers do keep traffic violation books and a general state law book (both are smaller) with them in their car in case they aren't sure that what happened has met all the criteria for the crime. But again, they don't have to show you that even if they do have it.

Gil R

Police officers do abuse their power. They violate the laws themselves by failing to use turn signals speeding even when off duty and we've had a few here get stopped drunk driving in police vehicles. It's up to you to know the laws and police departments have internal affairs departments to investigate complaints filed. ;You are required to obey the instructions of a law enforcement officer at the time but that doesn't mean you can't go later and file a a complaint that his instructions were unlawful.

Jooh

That's a good question.

If I ever get told by a police officer that I'm breaking the law, I will demand to see that law.

"Murder is against the law? Since when? Where's your proof???"

Bruce T

Obey the nice officer so your **s doesn't end up in the slammer. Get his name a nd badge number and report him it you find out he was lying.
Most state websites have an extensive listing of statutes that are keyword searchable.

John C

He doesn't even have to be right. He can make up a law and arrest you on the spot. Then it's up to you and a lawyer and the legal system to prove he was wrong. Crazy system huh?

Michael

no u can ask him if u need to

-other question : umm i think in the internet or book or ask the governer to give u copy of laws or president

Tigger

The Officer does not have to show you the law in print. The Officer dies have to read you you're Miranda Rights before placing you under arrest.

For laws in your State, you will need to access the Website for your State which usually is your state.gov

Sid Vicious

i think he must tell you what the law is and what section and such if u ask him

jdbjamesb

yes of course, but it can get complicated..you need some one of power to listen.....do you know why cops are called pigs? because back in the old days it was against the law to call the police anything. so the towns people came up with a dirty animal..the pig true story saw it on history channel

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