Can you yell out F*** the Police without being arrested?

Question

Perhaps your in your car and you yell out f*** the police to them can you be arrested or fined or what not?

Answer 1

yes you can be

Answer 2

You can at the very least expect to be searched, sit around endlessly while they do warrant checks on you, do their paperwork, or whatever else they feel like doing.

And you could end up getting the c**p beat out of you too.

Oh, and yeah, you might get arrested on top of that.

Answer 3

you could probably be arrested.

Answer 4

Yes, it falls under disorderly conduct.

Answer 5

You can be arrested, but can you be convicted?  Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971) held that a state may not prohibit the use of four-letter-words in public places, particularly when that speech threatens no violence or public disorder and when the speech has a political message.

In Cohen, the accused was convicted of public indecency for wearing a jacket that said "F*** the Draft" in a courthouse.  The Supreme Court said that the state had no interest in punishing a pure expression of speech that didn't also violate the First Amendment.  Under the earlier Roth-Jacobellis-Memoirs Test (1966), obscenity was defined as something with no social value, and incorporated an earlier standard requiring appeal to primarily prurient interests.  FCC v. Pacifica (1978) ruled that the offense of obscenity could only be applied to dirty words if used repeatedly and within possible earshot of a minor (over the airwaves).

So the long answer is that your free speech rights to express your extreme displeasure at the police is almost certainly socially valuable speech that is protected by the First Amendment.  You still risk harassment from the police who are of course not Constitutional law scholars.

Answer 6

I think telling a police officer curses words is disorderly conduct, but some will charge you some will not charge you.

Answer 7

yes you can be arrested for shouting vulgarities in public

Answer 8

The case law cited by Adam B does not apply in your example.

In the case of Chaplinski v. New Hampshire, the US Supreme Court determined words intended to provoke a breach of peace are not covered by the First Amendment right to free speech.

This is commonly referred to as the "Fighting Words Doctrine", and you can be arrested.

I can tell you from experience, if the officer is the only one that hears it, you will probably be safe. However, if there are others that witness the event, you can be arrested for Disorderly Conduct, Disturbing the Peace, or something similar.

Answer 9

This is an arrestable offence under Section 5 of the public order act.

So yes, you can be arrested.

You would also need to grow up a bit and have a bit more respect for your fellow human beings, something that's severely lacking in this country and fuelling the decline of a decent society.

Answer 10

i went to jail for saying ( the police aint going to do $hit) its call public disordely conduct and its a 550 fine and a mandatoury 6 hr lockup so you cant even bond out untill after the 6 hr lockup hold