Does looking young give police reasonable suspicion of you breaking youth curfew?

Question

Where I live in NJ, there's a youth curfew; is my appearance enough for a police officer to detain me? Youth curfews being unconstitutional aside, appearance alone doesn't seem like it would pass in court as reasonable suspicion. Am I right?

Answer 1

detain no ask for you id yes.

Answer 2

Your correct, if you do not apply to the youth curfew he should have no reason to detain you. The worst that could probably happen is that he could confront you, and ask for some identification about your age.

Answer 3

Wrong, buckwheat.

It IS probable cause if the person appears to be in violation of a law or city ordinance. The officer has right, if not obligation, to determine the age of a person who may be in violation of the Curfew laws.

Somebody has given you some BAD advice.

Answer 4

Your appearance no is not enough to detain you, however you must provide the officer with some type of identification that can be verified that proves your age is over the curfew restrictions.

It takes a name and address to verify age, even if you don't have an identification card on you. But keep in mind before you lie, that you if you are caught you will be in even bigger trouble.

Answer 5

You're all wrong -- it may be reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or neither.  That would ultimately be determined by a judge (if it ever got there, which it doubtfully ever would).  SInce PC is just a higher standard of RS, they have the exact same elements.  As such, one officer might find the "age appearance" evidence to constitute PC, while another might only find it compelling enough to be RS.  Finally, a third might not even find it enough to be RS that the subject was underage.  So, in court, it will all be up to the judge, and how old he thinks the subject is (but bear in mind, the cop in question is likely to get a lot of benefit of the doubt).

Answer 6

I live in MI. Not sure if the law is the same in NJ, but here you have to have a form of ID on you if you're over 15 years old. It's illegal not to (even though most cops aren't going to be jerks about this unless you're driving). The cop can ask you for ID, but can't detain you unless you don't have ID, or you're too young.