Source: http://www.husseinandwebber.com/crimes/public-order-obstruction/resisting-officer-without-violence/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 20:17:40+00:00

Document:
In Florida, Resisting an Officer Without Violence is any non-violent obstruction of a law enforcement officer during the execution of a legal duty, including arrest. Resisting Without Violence is a first degree misdemeanor, with penalties of up to 1 year in jail or 12 months probation, and a $1,000 fine.
Resisting an Officer Without Violence is any non-violent interference directed at a police officer who is acting pursuant to a legitimate law enforcement function.
Whoever shall resist, obstruct, or oppose any [law enforcement or probation] officer or other person legally authorized to execute process . . . In the law execution of a legal duty, without offering or doing violence to the person of the officer, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree . . .
In many criminal cases, Resisting an Officer Without Violence is a type of offense that is tacked on by police to supplement other charges.
Interfering with active police investigation, or acting as a “look out” to prevent an intended arrest. Porter v. State, 582 So. 2d 41 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991).
Wilkerson v. State, 556 So. 2d 453, 456 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990); H.A.P. v. State, 834 So. 2d 237, 239 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002) (upholding convictions where a defendant’s verbal conduct is coupled a refusal to leave the scene of lawful search or arrest).
Resisting an Officer / Arrest Without Violence is a first degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail or 12 months of probation, and a $1,000 fine.
These penalties represent the statutory maximum that is available for the charge, and do not reflect the likely sentence that will be imposed in the vast majority of cases.
For many first-time offenders, a conviction for Resisting Without Violence will result in a permanent criminal record, and a likely term of probation. The probation sentence, if imposed, will typically range from 6 to 12 months.
If aggravating circumstance exist in a case, including highly disrespectful conduct or conduct that endangers safety, a prosecutor may seek jail, even for first-time offenders.
Extended jail sentences are a realistic possibility for individuals with extensive criminal histories, or who have engaged in similar conduct in the past.
Another serious consequence of a Resisting charge is that, in many Florida judicial circuits, prosecutors do not offer any type of diversionary option (including pretrial intervention) to dispose of the case. This means that, once charged, a defendant must either take the risk of litigating the case, or accepting the allegations and entering a plea.
To constitute the offense of resisting, the accused must have a “general intent” to “knowingly and willfully impede an officer in the performance of his or her lawful duties.” Polite v. State, 973 So. 2d 1107, 1112-13 (Fla. 2007) (citations omitted).
Thus, where a defendant tenses his or her arms merely as a result of the pain of being handcuffed, or moves his or her body reflexively due to discomfort or for injury avoidance, a conviction for resisting cannot be sustained.
A defendant also has a recognized right to resist an officer without violence where the officer unlawfully arrests or detains the defendant. Harris v. State, 647 So.2d 206 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994); S.G.K. v. State, 657 So. 2d 1246, 1247 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995). This often occurs in situations where police confront a suspect without the requisite level of probable cause or reasonable suspicion.
A conviction for Resisting Without Violence cannot be sustained where the police officer, at the time of the alleged resistance or obstruction, is engaged in mere “on the job” activities. Jay v. State, 731 So. 2d 774, 775 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999).
“On the job” activities” are ordinary investigative or administrative police functions not involving an imminent or ongoing “lawful execution of a legal duty.” K.A. v. State, 12 So. 3d 869, 871-72 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009); Jay, 731 So. 2d at 775.
Asking a person for assistance with an ongoing emergency.
A.R. v. State, 127 So. 3d 650, 654 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013); R.E.D. v. State, 903 So. 2d 206, 207 (Fla. 3d DCA 2004).
On these facts, the Fourth District determined that the defendant could not have committed the offense of “resisting” because, at the time of the alleged obstruction or resistance, the officer was not legally detaining any person or making an arrest. Id. at 776. The lack of a formal detention meant that the officer’s actions were merely “on the job,” and not in the “lawful execution of a legal duty.” Id.
On these facts, the the Fourth District reversed the defendant’s conviction, finding that police were merely “on the job” because they had not developed reasonable suspicion and were not serving process or detaining a person. Id.
See also R.E.D. v. State, 903 So. 2d 206 (Fla. 3d DCA 2004) (reversing conviction and determining officers to be merely “on the job” where a defendant warned two unnamed males of the police presence).
To support a conviction for Resisting Without Violence, the accused must be aware that the arresting officer is in fact an officer of the law. Harris v. State, 935 So. 2d 1259, 1262 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006); Cooper v. State, 742 So. 2d 855, 857-58 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999).
Lack of knowledge of an officer’s status is often an issue in situations where the officer is off duty, in plain clothes, in an unmarked police car, or is acting undercover.
State vs. T.S. (Fourth Judicial Circuit, Duval County, Florida) (2013)- our Client was charged with Resisting an Officer Without Violence after allegedly pulling away from a police officer and falling to the ground during an attempted arrest. The incident arose from an incident at a local high school where our client’s sister had left school early without permission. The police were called to the scene and began looking for the student in the surrounding neighborhood.
If you have been arrested for Resisting Without Violence, contact Hussein & Webber, PL for a free consultation. Our law firm handles cases in Jacksonville, Orlando, and the surrounding counties of Northeast and Central Florida.
In Florida, Resisting an Officer/Arrest With Violence is a serious criminal charge. Even for first-time felony offenders, the likely penalties will include prison or significant jail time.

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