Dallas police may have an identity crisis if they ever get around to complying with a unanimous 1979 Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling reversed the conviction of an El Paso man who refused to identify himself when he was stopped by police who “lacked any reasonable suspicion” that the man had committed a crime.
But a check of the Dallas municipal court docket reveals that city police make hundreds of arrests for the charge, “Failure to ID.”
That’s even though Assistant City Attorney Mark O’Briant says it is “illegal and wrong to arrest a person for that.” It is against the law to give a false name or to refuse to identify oneself after being arrested for something else, O’Briant adds.
The municipal court’s administrative office says categories of fines are not divided by specific offenses, so it is difficult to gauge how much the unconstitutional practice adds to the civic coffers.
Bail bond offices and other establishments are doing a thriving business selling laminated ID cards with the bearer’s name and photograph on them for about $10. Such cards have no legal validity.
But then, it seems, neither does the charge, “Failure to ID.”
Related Articles
Travel
Is Fort Worth Really ‘The New Austin’?
The Times of London tells us it's now the coolest city in Texas.
By Tim Rogers
Dallas 500
Meet the Dallas 500: Chakri Gottemukkala, o9 Solutions
The o9 solutions leader talks about garnering a $3.7 billion valuation, growing 10x over the next few years, and how the company is innovating.
By D CEO Staff
Local News
An Early Look at 2026 FIFA World Cup Logistics
The World Cup matches will be held in Arlington, but Dallas will be home to a great deal of team and fan experiences. We're getting an early look at what that will look like.