Q: Is it illegal in the state of Oklahoma to not identify yourself during a police investigation?
Officers arrived on scene and placed me in handcuffs off bat. I was being detained off of reasonable suspicion and I refused to give my name. Meanwhile, officers ask questions and turns out there is no probable cause for an arrest. While asking questions officers found out that the suspect in custody is actually the victim. The suspect, still handcuffed and detained, is telling officers about the crime that happened to them and there is video proof. Officers never bothered to investigate these claims and never watched the video. The suspect was then placed under arrest for not declaring is name. The police also made the comment upon the realization the suspect is the victim that, “It’s too late now, he didn’t say his name, so what do you want me to do?”
A: Yes, it is illegal to fail to identify yourself to police officers in the course of an investigation. This person could have saved himself a lot of time and trouble by simply telling the police who he was.
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