From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 16-Apr-14 22:57, Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
   > Stephen Sprunk  wrote:   
   >> On 16-Apr-14 08:58, Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
   >>> conklin  wrote:   
   >>>> It seems that when local officials tried to look into a   
   >>>> derailment in Westford, MA, they were threatened with arrest.   
   >>>   
   >>> So what? The town manager and fire chief would have told the   
   >>> police that they were there to investigate the incident and   
   >>> determine what local emergency response was necessary, and   
   >>> wouldn't have been arrested.   
   >>   
   >> They might have been questioned by the feds, but I doubt they would   
   >> have been arrested for asking questions themselves.  OTOH, "look   
   >> into" might mean more than just asking questions.   
   >   
   > What are you babbling about? No railroad calls FBI on a trespassing   
   > complaint.   
      
   No, but they might call the feds about a suspected terrorist.   
      
   >>> Any company official can make a police report for trespass, but   
   >>> that doesn't mean someone would have been arrested. If you don't   
   >>> want to be intimidated, don't let yourself be intimidated.   
   >>>   
   >>> It's not like these two people wouldn't have been known to their   
   >>> own police department.   
   >>   
   >> But they wouldn't be "known" or "untouchable" to railroad police   
   >> or federal agents; they'd be potential terrorists.   
   >   
   > Last I looked, making a false police report   
      
   Who said the report would be false?  If someone is trespassing on a   
   railroad and asking questions about hazmat, and I correctly report those   
   facts to the police, that report is not false.  It is up to the police   
   to investigate whether a crime has occurred.   
      
   > is still a felony.   
      
   Whether it's a felony or misdemeanor depends on state law, and a   
   conviction generally requires the knowledge that it is false _and_ the   
   intent to disrupt a criminal investigation.   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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