Some states have laws (statutes) that require a person to accurately provide their identification (ID) (name, residence address, date of birth) to the police if the police have reasonable suspicion to believe (1) a crime has been committed, is being committed, or is about to be committed and (2) the person asked to provide identification is involved as a participant or as a witness. If there is no reasonable suspicion, a person does not have to provide identification—but courts often find reasonable suspicion as a matter of course.

These statutes are sometimes called stop-and-identify laws or stop and ID laws, and the violation of the statute may be a criminal offense or crime known as “failure to ID.” Stop and ID laws vary from state to state in the states that have such laws. For example, in some states failure to ID cannot be the basis for an arrest (there must be an underlying criminal offense) and in some states the obligation to provide identification only applies to a person who has been arrested.

And in some states it is a criminal offense for a person to provide a false or fictitious name, residence address, or date of birth if the person has been detained by police on the basis of reasonable suspicion or is believed to be a witness to a criminal offense.

The United States Supreme Court has held that the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution may allow suspects to refuse to give their name if they have a reasonable belief their name could be incriminating. Kolender v. Lawson, 461 U.S. 352 (1983).

In Iowa, there is no specific 'stop and identify' statute that requires individuals to provide their identification to police officers under all circumstances. However, under certain conditions, such as during a lawful arrest or when a police officer has reasonable grounds to believe an individual has information about a crime, the person may be required to identify themselves. Iowa law does make it a criminal offense to provide false identification to a law enforcement officer. Specifically, Iowa Code section 718.6 states that it is a misdemeanor to knowingly provide false personal information to a law enforcement officer who is in the lawful performance of their duties. This includes giving a false or fictitious name, birth date, or address. As for the Fifth Amendment protection, individuals in Iowa, as in all states, have the right to remain silent under the U.S. Constitution, which may include refusing to provide their name if they reasonably believe it could be self-incriminating, in line with the Supreme Court's decision in Kolender v. Lawson.