My question involves civil rights in the State of: Rhode Island
I hope this is the right area, I wasn't sure if I should go here or in the accident area.
Recently, myself and my husband were pulled over because I had turned around in a parking lot on the end of our street. The officer thought this was "suspicious behavior" even though they had resurfaced the sidewalk in front of the parking lot earlier that day, and we thought we weren't supposed to drive on it yet, because when we got to the lot, we could see the barricades were still up. We didn't see that the barricade was only for one section of the exit, we thought it was for the whole thing, thus we turned around. (Our street has two exits, one is through a parking lot for a furniture store, the other is onto a very busy street. We usually exit by the parking lot, because people driving on the street often drive very fast, and there have been a number of accidents there. It is safer to use the parking lot to exit, and the store owner doesn't mind.)
When we were pulled over, I was driving. I produced my drivers license. The officer demanded to see my husband's driver's license as well. He (husband) pointed out that since he was not driving and was not planning on going anywhere where a license was required, he hadn't brought it. The officer told him that under Rhode Island law, when we got our license, we agreed to carry it on us at all times, no matter what we were doing.
I admit, I did not read every single word of my license renewal, but I was rather shocked to be told this. Having to carry your license on you at all times is something that is usually expected in countries where freedom is seriously restricted.
After running my drivers license, the officer let us go, but sternly warned my husband that he'd better never be caught outside without his drivers license on him ever again, the implication being that if he was, he would be in serious trouble.
Is this really a law in RI? And how can they get away with it? I never drive without my licenses on me, but there are times when I go out walking or other activities where I'm not driving and I don't carry my license. I didn't know that at any time, a police officer could come up to me and demand I show ID, if I wasn't doing anything illegal or suspicious.
Yes, I understand that turning around in the parking lot was suspicious, however, I was the one turning around, not my husband. I had my license on me.
Thanks for any help anyone can give me for this question. It's really bothering me. If it is the law in Rhode Island, then that tells me that this country is not the same country I was born into.

