On tangling with cops and the duty to obey lawful orders

by Seneca Doane
Thu Feb 19, 2009 at 08:58:41 PM PST

There is a diary on the Rec List now in which a Koster tells of his encounter with police at an Ann Coulter lecture at his college. The police acted badly post arrest and I don't defend them for that. This diary deals with the arrest itself, and the misconception that many good liberals have about the duty to follow a public safety officer's lawful orders. This misconception can quite seriously get you killed, which is why I commented in that diary and have decided to turn that comment into my own diary on the topic.
Essentially: you have to obey a lawful order. Understand that.

Seneca Doane's diary Here's my comment from the other diary:

This is a good diary and the behavior of the police, at least as reported, was inexcusable. But for your own good and those of your readers, I want to explain why you were arrested, and why that part of the story is not a scandal.

Read on...

And if you don't obey.....taser time. Tom