MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
I ask because I used to live in a housing complex that rented primarily to active duty Navy personnel on a nearby base. The magnetic sticker on my fridge listed a number for Military Police, and I used to see them drive through the complex (patrol?) quite a bit. However, neither I nor anyone else in my household has ever served any branch of the US military, and technically the company that owned and operated the housing complex was a private, civilian enterprise. My wife and I were one of only 6 tenants (out of several hundred) who were civilians. We signed no paperwork at any time agreeing to comply with US Military Law.
Let's say an MP were to drive through my old housing complex, and claimed to witness me doing something that's illegal under civilian law. After I made it clear to him that I was not military, what COULD he do to me? Would I be obligated to identify myself by name to him, as I would a civilian police officer? Would I be obligated to answer any other of his questions?
If I refused to cooperate with the MP, could he use force against me? Could he physically restrain me? Could he detain me? If so, where? (I don't suppose he'd be within bounds to take me back to the naval base!)
Could he restrain and detain me until he could contact the civilian police, and then hand me over to them? If this were to happen, what would be the weight of his testimony in civilian court, relative to mine, or that of the civilian officer to whom he turned me over? After all, the civilian officer would be getting the story third hand, and would not have witnessed any crime.
Finally, how would this situation be different if what the MP saw me doing was illegal under military law, but not under civilian law? Or vice versa?
Let's say an MP were to drive through my old housing complex, and claimed to witness me doing something that's illegal under civilian law. After I made it clear to him that I was not military, what COULD he do to me? Would I be obligated to identify myself by name to him, as I would a civilian police officer? Would I be obligated to answer any other of his questions?
If I refused to cooperate with the MP, could he use force against me? Could he physically restrain me? Could he detain me? If so, where? (I don't suppose he'd be within bounds to take me back to the naval base!)
Could he restrain and detain me until he could contact the civilian police, and then hand me over to them? If this were to happen, what would be the weight of his testimony in civilian court, relative to mine, or that of the civilian officer to whom he turned me over? After all, the civilian officer would be getting the story third hand, and would not have witnessed any crime.
Finally, how would this situation be different if what the MP saw me doing was illegal under military law, but not under civilian law? Or vice versa?