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  1. #1
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    Default Is it Obstruction of Justice to Lie to a Police Officer

    Help me settle a bet, in the state of OR, is lying to a cop legal? could it be classified as obstruction of justice?

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    um, if you tell him his shoe is untied when it isn't, it is not obstruction of justice and not illegal.


    If you tell the officer the wanted felon is not hiding in your house when he is and the officer asked if he was, that is obstructing and illegal.

    you would have to be more specific to get an accurate answer.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    Lying period,....... about anything that's asked of you, for example say: your name, my point to this individual was, that giving false info to a cop, be it name, maybe info regarding a crime or whatever...is illegal, he says it's not, I thought it'd come under obstruction

    Is it illegal to give a cop a false name? mis-identify yourself?

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    Generally, there is no law that says you have to tell the truth or volunteer information in state law. It though is always best to say you don't know rather than provide false info.

    You'd need to look up statutes in your state to be sure, I could care less about your stupid bet or argument. There is a phone service you can call for a few bucks too.

    Providing false information in the form of a document is almost always a criminal offense.

    Generally lying to a federal officer is in and of itself a crime.

    If the person is the subject of the investigation, it is possible in some states to be arrested for resisting arrest without violence. This is often used in relation to traffic stops.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    it makes a difference what the lie is concerning. Like I said, if I tell an officer his shoe is untied and it isn't, that is a lie and it is not illegal. It really does depend on what is asked and why it is asked.



    Is it illegal to give a cop a false name? mis-identify yourself?
    It depends.

    If there is a state law that requires a person to identify oneself to an officer, then yes, it would be illegal if the law was breached.

    If a cop walks up to a girl in a restaurant and asks her name so he can look up her phone number to ask her out, then no, it is not illegal

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    Quote Quoting jk
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    it makes a difference what the lie is concerning. Like I said, if I tell an officer his shoe is untied and it isn't, that is a lie and it is not illegal. It really does depend on what is asked and why it is asked.



    It depends.

    If there is a state law that requires a person to identify oneself to an officer, then yes, it would be illegal if the law was breached.

    If a cop walks up to a girl in a restaurant and asks her name so he can look up her phone number to ask her out, then no, it is not illegal
    Well crap, guess I loose the bet...,...I was under the impression, when being questioned by the police, you had to be truthful about everything that's being asked ( wasn't it mentioned somewhere here that the USSC had ruled that one had to ID themselves and this wasn't an intrusion into privacy?) ...oh and when I say lying , I don't mean you telling the cop his shoe is untied, I mean when you are asked a question
    thanks for your opinion

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    Quote Quoting NCC 1701
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    Well crap, guess I loose the bet...,...I was under the impression, when being questioned by the police, you had to be truthful about everything that's being asked ( wasn't it mentioned somewhere here that the USSC had ruled that one had to ID themselves and this wasn't an intrusion into privacy?) ...oh and when I say lying , I don't mean you telling the cop his shoe is untied, I mean when you are asked a question
    thanks for your opinion
    the SCOTUS ruled that a law that requires you to divulge your identity was not unconstitutional. It did not state that you were required to divulge your identity if there was not a law that did not require it.

    and to your last line: I was simply trying to impress upon you that the situation and the question asked really must be known to be able to give you an accurate answer.

    sometimes it is illegal, sometimes it isn't.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Is Lying to a Cop = Obstruction of Justice

    Quote Quoting NCC 1701
    View Post
    Well crap, guess I loose the bet...,...I was under the impression, when being questioned by the police, you had to be truthful about everything that's being asked ( wasn't it mentioned somewhere here that the USSC had ruled that one had to ID themselves and this wasn't an intrusion into privacy?) ...oh and when I say lying , I don't mean you telling the cop his shoe is untied, I mean when you are asked a question
    thanks for your opinion
    This is the case you are refering to, and it is only a mandate IF the person is under investigation, as far as this case is concerned.

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-5554.ZS.html

    There are other times it may be required to give your name, such as witnessing a felony and the officer wants to subpeona you later?

    Under federal law, not talking about any state now, if a federal officer asks you if you committed that crime and the response is NO, and it is a lie, that in and of itself is a crime. You would think any exculpatory statement would be protected as a non self incriminating right, but no.

    A far as your example is concerned, the statement must generally be "material" to the investigation. If it is false, and material, then it could be a crime in and of itself, yes,

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Is it Obstruction of Justice to Lie to a Police Officer

    In my state it is not against the law to keep your mouth shut if detained, but even if NOT detained, it can be a crime to provide false ID (verbal or otherwise) to a peace officer.

    So, unless you are subject to citation or arrest in CA it is best to politely decline to provide ID rather than lie.

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