Any CE Officers prohibited from requesting Identification?

[Cacompliance]

Yesterday, my (California) City questioned whether or not I have the right to request identification while on calls. We explained it is only a request. People can decide whether to cooperate or not. But someone, somewhere, seems to have convinced a manager that we are legally wrong for asking.

I was also told they believe I am not allowed to discuss anything with minors. I currently do not, but out of a belief that it is not best practice. Not because it is illegal or unconstitutional. In fact, Ca SB203 allows for it, if the minor is not accused of a crime.

Is anyone else dealing with this issue, or have any insight?

Thank you all.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Identification of whom, for what?

Are you talking about asking tradespersons for their occupational licenses, or are you talking about asking a person on a job site to tell you who they are so you know if they are the person with whom to discuss problems encountered during an inspection?

You should not have anything to do with minors. If our inspectors go to a residence and only a minor is at home, we do not enter, and we mark it down as a missed inspection.

 

[ICE]

Identification of whom, for what?

Are you talking about asking tradespersons for their occupational licenses, or are you talking about asking a person on a job site to tell you who they are so you know if they are the person with whom to discuss problems encountered during an inspection?

You should not have anything to do with minors. If our inspectors go to a residence and only a minor is at home, we do not enter, and we mark it down as a missed inspection.

The OP is a Code Enforcement Officer…. Might even have a badge. When I was stuck with code enforcement inspections I always asked for names but I never asked for an ID.

There was a time when I lined up a bunch of Samoans and took mug shots … with a Polaroid camera. Usually the job was sealing a driveway and that did not require a permit but someone would call in a complaint. The complaints after the fact were also a problem because the sealing job was a scam.

After the third time we met and they claimed that it was different bunch of Samoans that I dealt with… well I lined them up and got mug shots… profile and all. The King was so large that I’m not sure that he could walk… he sat in a chair under an umbrella and a boy kept busy with a fan.

I asked them to stay out of my city and apparently the bluff worked.



If a minor answers the door, I wait outside until an adult appears.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

The OP is a Code Enforcement Officer…. Might even have a badge. When I was stuck with code enforcement inspections I always asked for names but I never asked for an ID.

I figured out that "CE" probably stood for Code Enforcement. Building officials, fire marshals, zoning enforcement officers, inland wetlands officers -- ALL are code enforcement officers. In my state, all fire marshals and all fire inspectors have badges. Some building officials have badges -- I do, but I've had it for 19 years and I've never had to display it. Not sure about today, but some years ago New York City fire marshals not only had badges, they also carried guns and had powers of arrest.

The chief prosecutor for housing matters (which encompasses building code cases) always reminded us that because people could be arrested, fined, and/or imprisoned for violating the building code, we are law enforcement officers. We are not sworn LEOs with power of arrest, but we are LEOs.

If a minor answers the door, I wait outside until an adult appears.

Wise.

 

[mtlogcabin]

Ask for ID never, ask for a name always.
Never enter a home with just a minor home,
Never enter a home by yourself with a just single lady present.

When in Fl we used to do section 8 housing inspections that where subsidized by the county. They had a strict policy that 2 county employees would conduct the inspections. One man, one woman, most of the time the woman was the permit tech or even the assistant county administrator. The main reason was to protect the inspector from any false allegations that may be made. It is cheaper to settle out of court than to defend he said she said allegation.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Ask for ID never, ask for a name always.
Never enter a home with just a minor home,
Never enter a home by yourself with a just single lady present.

When in Fl we used to do section 8 housing inspections that where subsidized by the county. They had a strict policy that 2 county employees would conduct the inspections. One man, one woman, most of the time the woman was the permit tech or even the assistant county administrator. The main reason was to protect the inspector from any false allegations that may be made. It is cheaper to settle out of court than to defend he said she said allegation.

 

[ICE]

Never enter a home by yourself with a just single lady present.

That would be difficult to implement as a building inspector.

 

[mtlogcabin]

Not really you just make it work.

 

[SCBO1]

"How do you know it's a lady?"

 

[SCBO1]

If a minor answers the door, I wait outside until an adult appears.

This is always problematic, have to ask for adult in charge.