Marine Patrol

[jrc]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

Me too, on my 20-footer.

But the MP asked how long your boat was, and they asked me the very same question. If you'd answered 12-feet truthfully (and therefore operating illegally), wouldn't the MPs be compelling you into self-incrimination?

In my case, the MPs also asked me if I had a tape measure on board—still another case for the Fifth Amendment, IMHO. (That is, providing I'd produced a tape measure that they use to establish my boat's true length.)

Not a problem to produce personal identification upon MP request, but a request that compells you into a ticket?

NightWing (heck, everybody) is silent on this.

Come on, you are not compelled to answer. When a trooper pulls you over in your car and says "do you know how fast you were going" or "do you know why I pulled you over" you don't have to say "90" or "because I ran the stop sign". You can always politely decline to answer. Although, I would not suggest lying. I guess common sense really isn't all that common.