“Red Phone, there’s word in town that Sinaloa’s is going to close. Tell us it’s not true.”
“Red Phone, we heard a rumor that Sinaloa’s will close April 1. Is this a joke?”
Red Phone: Dear Wondering, no, it’s not true. Red Phone talked to Manager Steven Peña Jr., who said they are not closing.
“It’s just a rumor,” he said, and he’d know. He’s the owner’s son.
Good callers, appears someone started an April 1 joke that Red Phone nipped in the bud. Enjoy all your meals.
Can an officer ask for identification?
“Red Phone, the other day I was sitting at a bus stop and saw a Morgan Hill police officer stop a young man wearing baggy clothes walking along Hale Avenue. I overheard the officer ask for the man’s identification. The officer did ask to search the man and he consented. Apparently, nothing was found because the officer left and the man continued on his way. My question, can an officer ask for someone’s identification for any reason?”
& Red Phone: Dear Can They, in short, yes, an officer can stop someone and ask for their identification. According to Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Troy Hoefling, one way an officer can do this is through a consensual encounter, during which the officer would ask the person a question, such as “Can I talk to you for a minute?” If the person says no, there’s nothing the officer can do, unless they have probable cause to detain the person. If the person says yes, and the officer asks for identification to determine who it is he or she is speaking with, the person can consent, or they can say no. If, however, during the conversation, the officer notices the person may be under the influence, or has other probable cause, he or she can detain the person and search them because probable cause has been established.
There are many reasons an officer would stop someone to talk, Hoefling said. They range from a person matching the description of a suspect who recently committed a crime in the area, to just stopping to talk to someone about nothing in particular. Hoefling said officers often stop to just interact with the public, and that is even more noticeable during events such as the Taste of Morgan Hill and the Mushroom Mardi Gras, where officers patrol the grounds and interaction with residents.
“A lot of officers try to interact with people in a non-authoritative setting, just to let them know we are normal people too,” Hoefling said.
Well, good caller, hope that answers your question.
