Many years ago, I got embroiled in a bar brawl. In the tumult, I got bound up with a guy who told me to stand down because he was a cop. I demanded to see a badge, he reached into his jacket and showed me one, I backed down. It was all very civil. People got bruises, not arrest records.

These days, asking the authorities to show their authority ends up more like this: https://apnews.com/article/brad-lander-nyc-immigration-court-arrest-6ed341297efab31a08a14421674d8ed8