Is it legal to take photos and videos of a police officer and his ID?

Question	Answer
Is it the inspector's responsibility to present his official ID?	A driver or pedestrian stopped by a traffic police officer has the right to demand that the inspector present an official document. The employee must show it by unfolding it, but is not obliged to hand it over to third parties.
Why might a vehicle driver need data from an inspector’s official ID?	To verify information. The protocol indicates all the data from the ID, and it is better to check its accuracy. In order to understand that this is a real police officer and not a fraudster. If a police officer confiscates your documents and does not return them. In such a situation, you should call 102 or the call center. If you are going to file a complaint about a violation of rights (the department is indicated on the certificate). If the protocol is written in illegible handwriting and you plan to file a complaint.
What is the procedure for communication between the inspector and the vehicle driver?	The inspector must communicate with the individual in a formal, polite manner. He must remain tactful and be objective. Addressing “You” is acceptable. The requirements and comments voiced by the inspector must be clear, convincing and unambiguous. The employee must show calm and restraint.

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When stopping a vehicle, the traffic police inspector is obliged to present the service identification card in expanded form at the request of the driver - a road user.

Such actions will help protect against scammers who often take advantage of the legal illiteracy of the country's population.

What you should pay attention to will be discussed in this article.

Appearance of the ID

A traffic police certificate is an official document that allows you to identify the identity of the inspector, his position and rank, and confirm his affiliation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in particular a certain territorial body (unit).

Issued upon appointment (admission, enrollment, transfer, assignment of title), change in personal information and the name of a structural unit, expiration of the validity period, as well as to replace a stolen, lost or damaged document.

In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 1234, the ID of an employee of the State Traffic Inspectorate can only be used in the performance of their duties and only for official purposes.

It is a “crust” of dark red or burgundy color, on the title page of which there is the inscription “Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia”; the republic, region, territory within the state to which the traffic police inspector belongs can also be indicated.

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You can verify the authenticity of your service ID by opening it. The spread contains 2 pages. On the first (left side) there is a photograph of a traffic police officer on a white background, the right corner of which is marked with the seal of the structure. Under the photo you can see the inspector’s personal number (one letter and several numbers). Next to the photo is the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, under which “Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia” is written in red letters. Below is the service region code and document number. The following is the date until which the certificate is valid.

On the second page (right side) there is the inscription “Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for (name of region and locality).” Below is the inscription “Service ID with the letter designation of the territorial unit of service and the document number.” Next, there is a record of the employee’s rank, his full name, and position. Under the personal information there is information about the right to own and use service weapons. The last line of the document is the signature and full name of the chief or his deputy of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the date of issue of the document.

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The authenticity of the official “crust” is verified by the presence of a wet seal, which represents the state emblem in two circles of different sizes and has the inscription Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The diameter of the seal is 25 mm, which is regulated by state standards.

What should a traffic police officer's official ID look like?

The inspector's document is a dark red or burgundy “scrap” with the inscription “Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.” Instead of the name of the country, the republic within it may be indicated. But the motorist should be interested in what is inside. The law speaks about this, in particular, the 5th paragraph of paragraph 20 of the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 185 of March 2, 2009, supplementing the “Administrative Regulations..”:

When stopping a vehicle or pedestrian, the employee, at the request of a road user, is obliged to present an expanded service ID without letting it go.

The documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also apply to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, since the inspectorate is its structural unit.

A genuine ID has the following characteristics:

On the left side of the document there should be a color photograph of the person presenting it in uniform, on a white background. Its lower right corner is marked with a round seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The employee's personal number is located under the photo. It consists of the first letter and several numbers.

To the right of the photo at the same level there should be an image of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation. Below it is the inscription “Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia” printed in red paint. Even lower is the three-letter code of the region in which the inspector serves and the license number. And at the very bottom, on the same level as the employee’s personal number, there is information about the validity period of the document.

Does the traffic police officer have to present a certificate?

All rights and obligations of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are enshrined in the Federal Law “On Police”. The actions of traffic police officers are also regulated by Order No. 664, according to which an inspector who is on duty during a stop of a vehicle or a pedestrian is obliged to present his official identification card in an open form, without letting go of his hands.

At the same time, communication with road users must be polite and tactful, all judgments must be objective.

The police officer must address the driver as “you”, and state all requirements in an accessible form, excluding double interpretation.

✨ Summary

Let's summarize:

As a general rule, it is possible to remove a police officer and traffic police inspector who are on duty. The same applies to their official IDs. However, citizens do not have the right to post filmed materials to the public.
Filming in internal affairs departments is prohibited - with the exception of the room for receiving citizens.
For obstruction, a police officer or inspector bears administrative or criminal liability.

What to do if he refuses

If the traffic police inspector refuses to present his official identification, the driver should have suspicions about the legality of the actions of the person who stopped the vehicle. In this case, you must notify the traffic police officer about the call to check your data. You can use several options and call:

to the Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline using a single number - 102;
to the emergency service – 112;
helpline, which is located on the patrol car.

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After the operator’s response, it is necessary to indicate that outside the traffic police post, a citizen who introduced himself (indicate rank, position and full name), wearing a traffic police uniform, stopped the car and refused to present his ID as a State Traffic Inspectorate inspector. Such actions will help determine whether a citizen is truly a police officer.

Rules for studying the ID

The traffic police officer's service ID must be examined:

in order to verify the legality of the actions of a person representing the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
to obtain information about the unit to which a complaint can be sent in case of violation of the driver’s rights and duties by the inspector;
to verify the information specified in the document and the protocol;
to apply if the employee has not returned the license that he checked.

In order to make sure that the traffic police inspector, who is performing official actions legally, is in front of the driver, the driver should be asked to show his ID. To study the information, you must ask to open the document.

Important! The State Traffic Inspectorate employee is obliged to keep the “crust” open until the motorist has studied all the information. If necessary (in case of illegal actions of the policeman), the driver has the right to rewrite the document data.

If the document is expired

The Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On the Police” states that a service ID allows you to identify the identity of a traffic police inspector, his position, rank, full name and affiliation with a certain structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Also confirms the legal right to own firearms. The legal act does not indicate the validity period of the document. Delay may be due to technical reasons that are beyond the employee’s control, for example, lack of forms.

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Therefore, if a driver is stopped by a traffic police inspector with an expired license, it is necessary to comply with all his requirements. In order to verify the legality of the actions, you should call the helpline of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the uniform police number -102 or the rescue service - 112.

Show your documents

The visual inspection is completed. Let's move on to the main thing - checking the inspector's documents. After all, it is the certificate, and not the uniform, that gives the traffic police officer authority. So, in this document you will see:

This is what a traffic police inspector's ID card should look like.

On page 1 (left) of the ID of an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia there should be:

photo of the traffic police inspector - printed along with the form; a pasted photo is not allowed. The photo must be in color
round seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - it seems to overlap with the photograph of a traffic police officer
coat of arms of Russia with the red inscription “Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia” - located to the right of the photo
employee’s personal number - it must match the badge
validity period of the certificate - delay is unacceptable.

Keep in mind that a traffic police officer with an expired license does not have the appropriate authority. It is quite possible that he has already been dismissed from the authorities, but has not submitted his certificate.

On page 2 (right) of the ID of an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia there should be:

Full name - printed, but in no case handwritten
position - we are looking for a mention of the policeman’s involvement in the structures of the Russian State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

Does a freelancer or vigilante have the right to stop a vehicle and how should the driver behave?

A freelance police officer is a citizen who is not an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and has expressed a desire to provide assistance in performing duties on a free and voluntary basis.

In accordance with the law, such persons have the right to participate in ensuring road safety and have the same rights and responsibilities as a traffic police inspector. However, a freelancer must perform all actions under the guidance of the traffic police officer to whom he is assigned.

To maintain order and ensure safety on the road, a certificate of the established form is issued. Otherwise, all actions of a citizen are unlawful.

Traffic police vigilantes are citizens who have expressed a voluntary desire to assist traffic police officers in ensuring public order and safety on the road. To perform the assigned duties, a certificate and badge are issued, as well as a special cape with the appropriate inscription.

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The police officer has the right to stop the vehicle and ask for documents for inspection only in close cooperation with the traffic police. The driver is not required to give up his license. In this case, the voluntary person notifies the traffic police inspector, who examines the driver’s license.

Why do you need to require identity documents from traffic police, traffic police, traffic police?

In fact, the organization that monitors compliance with traffic rules and ensures safety on the road is called the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, and the traffic police is its structural division. It is these abbreviations that can be found on the documents of inspectors, and not “traffic police”. The need to ask service employees for identification exists for:

Reconciliation of information in the protocol and document. The inspector may make a mistake or deliberately provide incorrect data. And this is already a reason to challenge the punishment imposed by him.
To determine whether a real inspector is making a claim or a person with fake “credentials” who is not related to the organization. This will help not only save money, but also the driver’s documents, car, and sometimes his life.
Combating illegal actions of a real traffic police officer. Information from the ID will help to find him if he took and does not give back documents belonging to the driver. Knowing them, it is easy to contact the department where an unscrupulous employee works. The same information in the copy of the protocol that the driver receives in his hands may be written illegibly.