Can You Be Arrested For Not Showing Alabama Police Your ID?

There always seems to be a lot of discussion about what you legally can and can't do in the state of Alabama. The discussion gets even deeper when you start discussing interactions with a law enforcement officer.

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With so many weird laws in the Yellowhammer state, one might beg to know the answer to the question, "Can you be arrested for not showing an officer your ID?"

Recently, an Alabama woman was arrested for refusing to do just that.

According to NBC News, a woman in Andalusia called the police on her neighbors with a noise complaint and she herself ended up in handcuffs and spent 15 in jail as a result.

Twyla Stallworth said she called the police on her neighbors due to loud music and when police arrived, they turned the music down. Upon their departure the music resumed and officers arrived at her doorstep demanding to see her identification.

NBC News says that she said she refused because she did not believe she had to provide identification.

“Ma’am, I’m not arguing with you. Provide ID or go to jail,” Barton says in a cellphone video recorded by her son.

According to NBC News, the officer warns Stallworth it is her last chance to show her ID. Then he shoves her down onto her couch and handcuffs her, the video shows.

She was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental operations and attempting to elude police, according to court documents.

So was the arrest legal?

NBC News says that the Alabama law allows a police officer who reasonably suspects a crime is being committed to ask for people's names and addresses and explanations of their actions, but it does not say anything about showing identification, such as driver's licenses or passports.

As a result, the officer who arrested Twyla Stallworth has been disciplined according to NBC News.