Was I In The Wrong?

I live and work in a small college town. The other night, I was at pizza place with some friends. I lost track of time, and, before I knew it, it was approaching midnight. The pizza place has a bar on the first floor which is usually filled with drunk college students. I went down there to take a leak and then head to the exit. Once I got out of the washroom, I saw a number of cops had rushed in and were checking for underage drinkers. I'm 34, and I don't look a day under 33, so I figured the raid didn't apply to me and I headed towards the exit. A cop stopped me and demanded my driver's license.

I asked him why he wanted it, as I was not operating a motor vehicle at the time. He said I needed to prove I was over 21. I gave him my name, birthdate and address. He then a bit more forcefully demanded my driver's license. I told him that I did not have alcohol in my hand, the establishment is both a restaurant and bar, therefore he had no probable cause to believe I had been drinking, so he had no cause to ask for any form of identification. He then told me that, if I did not produce my driver's license, he would arrest me for suspicion of underage drinking and obstruction of justice. I indicated that he could do that, and I would show ID upon arrest, but that I would in turn sue him and the city for false arrest. One of the other cops noticed the commotion, came over and told the other cop "Let him go".

Thankfully, I got out of there without having to get booked, but I do wonder if I was in the right or not. Any opinions?

You are the man. Now we need about 250 million more with the same attitude.

No, you were not in the wrong.

This isn't Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. You shouldn't have to show your "papers" on demand if you've done nothing wrong. Another case of a power hungry cop over-stepping his authority.

Outstanding! The exact same thing I would have done.

The cop was there on the job. He had every right to do what he did.....towards the appropriate suspects that is.

That's the thing I just don't get. I don't come anywhere close to looking like a college student, so why the cop wasted his time on me while a bunch of kids are trying to climb out the windows, I'll never know.

I bet you were even older than the cop in question.

Never had that happen to me.

Still get carded all the time, though. I wonder how old I'll have to be before that stops happening.

They don't card much in NYC. Unless ya like 15 yrs old. I can just picture a storeowner in Brooklyn carding a 30 yr old.

"ID?"

"Youfuckin'kiddin'meorwhat?!"


I never got used to that outside of NYC. Since I was 16 yrs old, I seldom got carded.

Well, they're supposed to card you if you look like you might be younger than 27, and that's only four years younger than me.

See over here they use a little common sense and don't waste time with that crap.

27 yrs old. Sheesh!

UA is right. Many places around here post signs saying if you appear under 30, 25, whatever you must present I.D.
That's just the way it is. When I drank beer (at 40 years old) I had to prove I was over 21. They just don't take any chances, period.

Sad. I couldn't live like that.

I haven't been carded in ten years.

Fuck!

I'm still carded regularly. I sure as hell don't look 21 anymore. Perhaps 27, but I think that's over too.

My mother said being carded was flattering until the age of about 40 or maybe 45. After 50, it's more patronizing and insulting than anything else. That sounds about right.

Denise in our office got carded at the restaurant next door when she ordered a beer. She was about 36 at the time. She said "Oh! Thank you!" and pulled out her license. Made her day.

In West-BY-GOD-Virginia, anyone buying tobacco or alcohol gets carded. The old law was if you looked less than 27, but someone in Charleston probably figured that someone could sue for discrimination or something, so the law was changed.

Any time spent questioning egocentric authority is time very well spent.

The only place I ever get carded is TGI Fridays. I jokingly bitched about it once and the bartender said that it was corporate policy to card everybody.

Which is a lie. I've never seen senior citizens get carded.

I'm pretty sure that, in Illinois, if you enter a licenced premises, you must be carrying state or federal ID proving your age. I assume that you have to show it, too, if challenged by a police officer.

That may well be true in your state, too, in which case you may have had a bit of a lucky escape. However, I applaud your actions, nonetheless.

Where did you get that crap from? If i just walk into that joint and don't eat or drink I won't show shit!!

I think some barkeeps pull that ploy simply for the tip, or to score points if she's a MILF.

Yeah, but that's Illinois- leading the way to the police state in more ways than ones.

I rarely drink alcohol, but I get carded whenever I buy. I have so many gray hairs in my beard that it's not hard to figure out I'm over 21.

Some colleagues of mine were denied entry to a bar in Chicago a few years ago. All they had on them were their German passports. They looked it up after the fact, and apparently it's true.

The doorman was still an asshole, though.

I would have just shown him the license. It would have took all but five seconds to do, then on my way.

But, fight the power maaaaaaaaannnnnnn!!!!