[ad_1]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill is currently in Ohio House committee that would include stiffer penalties for drivers who refuse to give officers their name, address and date of birth when it is requested.
The bill’s primary sponsors are Rep. Sharon A. Ray, R- District 66, and Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-District 29.
If the bill would become law, refusing to disclose your name, address or date of birth when requested by an officer during a traffic stop would be considered a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
“If someone fails to identify themselves at a traffic stop the charge is an unclassified misdemeanor, which is a fine-only offense,” Ray said in a press release. “By enacting House Bill 492 and changing it to a misdemeanor of the fourth degree it carries a possibility of a maximum of 30 days in jail and more importantly a fourth-degree misdemeanor gives jails the authority to fingerprint and identify the person before they are let go. In some cases, these people have warrants out for their arrests for dangerous crimes and without being able to identify them, whether at the traffic stop or the jail, there is no way to know.”
The bill is currently in the Public Safety Committee after having been introduced on Oct. 1.
“Law enforcement across the state and nation are put in an unsafe situation during a traffic stop when some people believe that they do not need to identify themselves to law enforcement,” Abrams said in the release. “Our law enforcement face risks each day they put their uniforms on and start their shift. House Bill 492 provides our law enforcement with an extra tool in the toolbox as they work to keep our communities safe.”
You can view the full version of the bill here:
[ad_2]
Spectrum News Staff
Source link