Eastbayri.com

BARRINGTON — If your bicycle was stolen and then recovered by local police, be prepared to show an ID when you stop by the station to pick up the ten-speed.

According to Barrington Police Chief John LaCross, there are a number of situations where police officers — and dispatchers in some cases — will ask people to show their identification, and then run that ID information through a series of police databases.

Sometimes the ID checks prove uneventful, and in the case of the stolen and recovered bicycle, will result in a brief delay prior to the happy reunion of bike and owner. In other cases, the database scans could reveal an active arrest warrant, a potential no contact order violation, or a summons for a suspended license.

“When people come into the police department on official business ... the caveat is that we, during the routine course of this business, we ask for some sort of identification so we know they are who they say they are,” Chief LaCross said.

The ID check runs the individual’s information through five databases, said the chief, including a search of the DMV (department of motor vehicles) for potential infractions or violations.

Chief LaCross said there are many credible reasons as to why an officer would ask for an individual’s ID. In the case of releasing a stolen item, he said the department wants to ensure that the item is going to the right person. He said that an ID check is also requested when someone is being allowed access to the department’s interior offices.

“If someone comes in and they’re involved in a crime and they’re giving us a statement, we’re going to do the same thing (check the ID) ... for our own safety,” he said.

“We had some guys coming here to work on the transmission tower in the back. Come to find out, one of the guys had a warrant out for him out of Providence.”

Barrington police will also likely check IDs for individuals who stop by the station to pick up someone else who is being released to them; one of the databases checks active no-contact orders.

“We do a lot of parent-child (custody) exchanges in the lobby ... at least three a week, because it’s a safe area, it keeps parents under control,” he said.

Chief LaCross said the department does not have a written policy regarding ID checks.

“After 9/11 (the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks) everyone is in a heightened state of alert, and they should be. If there’s nothing wrong with you and you don’t have any warrants out for you, you shouldn't worry,” he said.