Jay Thomas interview with Rep. Steve Vetter (R-Grand Forks) and Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner
(FARGO, ND) – A piece of legislation approved by the North Dakota House would allow law enforcement to report to the state’s attorney when an individual falsely represents who they are.
House Bill 1194, introduced by Grand Forks Representative Steve Vetter, passed the North Dakota House on February 7 by a vote of 77-13 and is now set to be heard by the Senate’s Judiciary Committee after the crossover break.
“Instead of not giving a name, they’re making up something,” Vetter told The Jay Thomas Show. “What this would is, it ties into the false accusations and the filing of a false police report.”
Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner says that if a driver is stopped on a traffic stop and refuses to give the officer information they request, the officer does not let the driver go.
“They’ve committed a criminal violation,” Jahner said.
The individual is lawfully detained by the officer during the course of the investigation. The situation may be prolonged, dependent upon what other techniques an officer needs to use to identify the individual who committed the criminal violation.
“If we can’t figure it out eventually, then it comes down to an arrest for obstruction of a government function,” Jahner said.
The current statute states a ‘physical obstruction of a government function,’ which has drawn questions from states attorneys in North Dakota relating to the way the statute is written.
“We’re trying to make the language a little clearer through this new statute,” Jahner said. “It makes it clearer for the officer.”
Rep. Vetter said that the original bill that was passed by the House is different from the current bill that the Senate will be hearing after crossover, which he expects will pass.
Vetter said his priority is not only to protect citizens rights, but to keep the residents safe.
Jahner says the purpose of running a person’s identification is also to make sure that they’re not wanted by a law enforcement agency. Issues with immigration law also may play into the reasoning for running identification.
“They could be wanted for violent offenses,” he said.
Jahner said Vetter’s bill would help authorities deal with the issues law enforcement is currently dealing with.
Should the bill pass in the Senate, it would return to the House to a conference committee, because the bill is not in the original language passed by the House.
