Current Events > Hot take: Resisting arrest should not be a crime.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Its used at the drop of a hat and sometimes used as a charge even when no crime or reasonable suspicion even existed in the first place.

Any resistance that poses a threat to the public is already covered under other laws (Speeding, reckless driving, improper discharge of a firearm, assault, trespassing, Attempted Murder/Murder, Obstruction of justice, etc.)

Its just a spiteful way for officers to tack extra time on to peoples sentences and to justify ego trips and beatings/shootings.

Unless a warrant is produced I cannot see any reason for it to be a crime itself.

Do you live in Taiwan?

Correct.

If a person resists arrest and they had committed say murder, you don't need a resisting charge to arrest them.

You only need resisting to charge INNOCENT people not guilty of crime.

R1masher posted...

Do you live in Taiwan?

America.

Are Taiwanese police as notoriously petty and evil shitstains as here in the USA?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Cop: let me see iD

Man: why? What did I do?

Cop: RESISTING! CRIMINALNL SCUM!

It definitely should be a crime. I wouldn't resist that it can be constrained as a concept more than currently. But it definitely should be a thing.

BurmesePenguin posted...

It definitely should be a crime. I wouldn't resist that it can be constrained as a concept more than currently. But it definitely should be a thing.

No

Or maybe stop running from the police and stop trying to fight them.

But you're not a real human, so your comment is irrelevant.

I agree with this, and I'll take this a step further:

Escaping from prison or jail should not be a crime.

Go the Germany route: any crime committed in the escape, such as assault or vandalism, is still charged, but if you somehow get an opportunity to just walk out of a prison unopposed, that's just human nature and should be the fault of the prison or jail. If you're caught after, you're just brought back to finish your sentence.

WingsOfGood posted...

Cop: let me see iD

Man: why? What did I do?

Cop: RESISTING! CRIMINALNL SCUM!

you joke but they really do this

GaryGensler posted...

Or maybe stop running from the police and stop trying to fight them.

Running shouldn't be a crime. Fighting them always is. Take away the easily abused resisting arrest and have them make specific charges for actions that actually endanger people.

I remember a case in Oregon. Guy was suspected of a crime which he was later cleared of. Confronted by plainclothes officers, and the guy understandably resisted since he didn't know they were cops. They dropped the initial charges but hit him with resisting arrest charges because he struck an officer in self defense.

BurmesePenguin posted...

It definitely should be a crime. I wouldn't resist that it can be constrained as a concept more than currently. But it definitely should be a thing.

No

I agree, evading the police or assault/battery should cover any behavior serious enough to warrant another charge without having resisting arrest being this charge that can be slapped on for incredibly minor things that are likely to happen when somebody isnt happy about being arrested.

GaryGensler posted...

Or maybe stop running from the police and stop trying to fight them.

Ok

Here's a black guy who was 100% innocent and didn't resist when arrested

https://youtu.be/BemHqUqcpI8

The police lied that they had evidence that proved he was guilty, then held him for 3 days in jail to get him to confess despite the police knowing he was innocent

The man only got let go at all because another cop blew the whistle, which is rare. This happens an unknown amount of time.

"Why don't you just stop running?" sounds obvious to a sheltered middle class white dude but the reality is people run because the police are corrupt and even if you never did anything wrong in your life they can still put you In prison.

You have to fix the police before you wag your finger at the people who don't trust them

UnfairRepresent posted...

Ok

Here's a black guy who was 100% innocent and didn't resist when arrested

https://youtu.be/BemHqUqcpI8

The police lied that they had evidence that proved he was guilty, then held him for 3 days in jail to get him to confess despite the police knowing he was innocent

The man only got let go at all because another cop blew the whistle, which is rare. This happens an unknown amount of time.

"Why don't you just stop running?" sounds obvious to a sheltered middle class white dude but the reality is people run because the police are corrupt and even if you never did anything wrong in your life they can still put you In prison.

You have to fix the police before you wag your finger at the people who don't trust them

Stop responding to SMAL

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

Its just a spiteful way for officers to tack extra time on to peoples sentences and to justify ego trips and beatings/shootings.

Or it is a deterrent for criminals not to be assholes and fight cops because they committed a crime and now are acting like a toddler when they get caught and refuse to follow orders.

RuneterranSnap posted...

Running shouldn't be a crime.

You're putting the public in danger by running. Plenty innocent people dead because criminals decided to run.

If y'all want to live in a lawless place where the cops can't do shit to criminals to move to Memphis and see how much you like it.

youenjoymyself1 posted...

You're putting the public in danger by running. Plenty innocent people dead because criminals decided to run.

I'm talking about just physically running. You aren't putting the public in danger with that.

If you're talking things like high speed pursuits? Reckless driving and endangerment are already crimes.

Making a cops job harder should not be a crime.

youenjoymyself1 posted...

If y'all want to live in a lawless place where the cops can't do s*** to criminals to move to Memphis and see how much you like it.

Nobody is calling for this.

youenjoymyself1 posted...

Or it is a deterrent for criminals not to be assholes and fight cops because they committed a crime and now are acting like a toddler when they get caught and refuse to follow orders.

You're putting the public in danger by running. Plenty innocent people dead because criminals decided to run.

Yeah because that "Deterrent" sure has worked in America, the country with the largest prison population in the world , mostly young black/Hispanic inmates , 1/6th in for drug offenses and the highest recidivism rate in the world

most of those dead are killed by cops

And I don't think anyone is disputing charges for people driving 120mph to escape cops having charges on top of what the police were after them for

it's more the 19 year old who allegedly had a joint running down a back alley now being charged with 4 crimes and facing prison time because he pissed his pants and panicked when 6 cops started screaming contradictory nonsense at him

it's fucking absurd

UnfairRepresent posted...

Ok

Here's a black guy who was 100% innocent and didn't resist when arrested

https://youtu.be/BemHqUqcpI8

The police lied that they had evidence that proved he was guilty, then held him for 3 days in jail to get him to confess despite the police knowing he was innocent

The man only got let go at all because another cop blew the whistle, which is rare. This happens an unknown amount of time.

"Why don't you just stop running?" sounds obvious to a sheltered middle class white dude but the reality is people run because the police are corrupt and even if you never did anything wrong in your life they can still put you In prison.

You have to fix the police before you wag your finger at the people who don't trust them

What I said applies to everyone regardless of race. The instant you fight a cop or run, youre escalating things. And a lot can happen whether intentionally or not in physical altercations where both sides sometimes have to make split second decisions.

People need to just shut the fuck up, demand an attorney, and fight it in court if it goes that far instead of trying to fight it out in the streets.

GaryGensler posted...

What I said applies to everyone regardless of race. The instant you fight a cop or run, youre escalating things. And a lot can happen whether intentionally or not in physical altercations where both sides sometimes have to make split second decisions.

People need to just shut the fuck up, demand an attorney, and fight it in court if it goes that far instead of trying to fight it out in the streets.

This just reads as "I know literally nothing about the history of police and corruption " and then just anger at not understanding why people who do, act differently

You flat out ignored the direct example I gave where cops tried to ruin an innocent man's life and he would be objectively better off if he just ran. Then you wonder why people run...

And you're not mad at the corrupt police, you're mad at the people who fear them

RuneterranSnap posted...

I'm talking about just physically running. You aren't putting the public in danger with that.

If you're talking things like high speed pursuits? Reckless driving and endangerment are already crimes.

Making a cops job harder should not be a crime.

Running across an intersection, on foot, is putting public in danger. Running,on foot, into a crowded area is putting the public in danger.

RuneterranSnap posted...

Making a cops job harder should not be a crime

RuneterranSnap posted...

Nobody is calling for this.

Obviously you are if you think that. You want an example of a city where cops have to work harder, I just gave you one.

If Im on someones jury, and they fought the cop and/or ran, Im siding with the cop every time on the resisting arrest charge. Sorry.

UnfairRepresent posted...

most of those dead are killed by cops

Sauce?

youenjoymyself1 posted...

Running across an intersection, on foot, is putting public in danger. Running,on foot, into a crowded area is putting the public in danger.

Running across an intersection might be but other laws cover it. Running through a crowd is not.

Where I live running away from a cop isn't illegal. (Though I believe ignoring a stop/pullover sign from police is considered a traffic violation.)

Likewise: escaping from prison is not illegal here either. The idea behind it is that every human has the natural urge to be free, and punishment isn't going to stop that.

Of course any violence or vandalism used during the escape attempt can be punishable by law. And in reality a prison escape is difficult to pull off without breaking other laws.

Hornezz posted...

Where I live running away from a cop isn't illegal. (Though I believe ignoring a stop/pullover sign from police is considered a traffic violation.)

Likewise: escaping from prison is not illegal here either. The idea behind it is that every human has the natural urge to be free, and punishment isn't going to stop that.

Of course any violence or vandalism used during the escape attempt can be punishable by law. And in reality a prison escape is difficult to pull off without breaking other laws.

Germany?

Why resist arrest if you did nothing wrong? That's how I see it

RuneterranSnap posted...

Germany?

Netherlands, but I believe it's the same in Germany

Escaping prison should not be a crime

RuneterranSnap posted...

Running through a crowd is not.

A perp running through a crowd being chased by police is no danger to the public?

No way that could cause any mass panic and people getting trampled!/s

I think we should make it to where if criminals run, cops shouldn't be able to chase them. Better idea than just telling them there is no penalty for running or passively resisting.

Hornezz posted...

Netherlands, but I believe it's the same in Germany

Oooh interesting

I wanna move to either of those tbqh

youenjoymyself1 posted...

I think we should make it to where if criminals run, cops shouldn't be able to chase them.

yeah that hasn't been working out so well for seattle

Agree

Cops need far, far more restrictions on what they're actually allowed to do

GaryGensler posted...

If Im on someones jury, and they fought the cop and/or ran, Im siding with the cop every time on the resisting arrest charge. Sorry.

yeah but youre SMAL. You've been on CE for decades lying about being a lawyer, being racist, and getting banned constantly that you have probably have the most accounts in the history of this site.

Your opinion is worth about as much as a mattress covered in bed bugs and piss

mario2000 posted...

yeah that hasn't been working out so well for seattle

Seems to be doing better than red hellholes.

Gwynevere posted...

Agree

Cops need far, far more restrictions on what they're actually allowed to do

Blame the politicians who pass the laws that give cops probable cause to detain or arrest people.

mobilebloechel posted...

If you resist successfully then you don't catch a crime

Until they send the National Guard after you.