There seem to be a lot of complicated issues here, but generally speaking, US citizens are not required to carry their IDs with them unless they are driving and flying, and are not required to show their IDs to a police officer unless the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person is comitting or will commit a crime. And generally, photographing the Verizon Center is not a crime in itself because it is clearly visible from the public street.
But you should balance your rights against your personal interests to determine if complying with a police request, to which you\'re not legally obligated, allows you to walk away from the situation sooner than later.
A lot of people seem to be advocating filing a lawsuit against the police officer, even though you weren\'t arrested, detained or searched -- maybe they\'d be willing to do the leg-work to find your counsel and pay his attorney fees for you? Again, balancing your rights against your interests.
As a general aside -- I live in DC and I think the police patrolling in Chinatown ought to focus their efforts on keeping the streets in that area safe instead of questioning photographers. Just my 2 cents.
Sep 27, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Previous versions of mdude85's message #8887330 « I think my right were violated? »
Again, balancing your rights against your interests.