Legal Question in Administrative Law in California

You should give the cop your name

A police officer can ask for your identifying information IF the cop has some official reason to need that information, such as investigation of a nearby crime, even if it is just jaywalking or loitering. However, a cop can't lawfully ask every pedestrian on Main Street for his or her name and address just because of the badge and blue uniform. There must be a valid need for the information, reasonably related to the cop's law-enforcement duties.