The most important thing is make sure that it is legal to wear thongs at the beach, pool or whatever location that you might consider. Knowing that it is legal in your state is not enough. Local governments can pass laws within their jurisdictions that go beyond what the state might allow. One of the best sources to find out if a thonging is legal is right here on this site and others like on sites like Yahoo. You could pose the question and see what  you get for answers.

As for handling rangers, resort managers or the police, my best advice is to be respectful. Don't protest; don't make a fuss, although you might mention that you have done the research and know that you are legal. BUT don't press the point.

Some rangers and such don't know the rules. One time at Crane's Beach in Ipswich, Massachussetts I had a ranger confront me. I got dressed, but I told him that thongs were legal there. A couple of weeks later he came by and told me that I was right. He had checked it out at the main office.

Sometimes these officials have a special bias and just want to throw their weight around. The best thing to do is to humor him on the spot, but if they keep it up, report them to the managment. I never had a problem, but some gay friends told me about a ranger who was homophobic. Finally they got together and wrote the management. They said that that person was moved to another position.

The main thing is to know the law and be respectful if you are confronted. If you follow those suggestions, you should be OK.

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Pull your 9mm out of the waistband of your thong and threaten to blow him away if he gives you any s**t!

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Man, I'm seriously hoping that you're joking.  And even if you are, you seem to me to be testing the limits of things you think may be funny but aren't.  What would prompt you to post such a comment? 

(I apologize in advance for breaking the "no quote" rule.)

I have to admit, I got a chuckle out of the 9mm comment, not from the violence perspective, but the thought of carrying a handgun in your thong waistband is kind of funny. 

One advantage for the cops, if you're wearing a thong you can't be hiding too much!

I've gotten "pulled over" several times while rollerblading in a thong, and have always just been courteous and respectful and it has never gone any further than, "Wear something more next time!"  Once they did give me a ride into the next town, (Rock Island, from Moline, they share a border). 

One time I did argue the leagality of it, questioning why it was illegal since my genitals were covered.  The policeman agreed that that wasn't the point, but stated that it was "disturbing the peace," saying that he didn't have a problem personally with it, but when people call in and complain they have to respond to the complaints.  So, rather than just look the other way, some people decide they need to protect society from the vicious man in the thong, and call the cops to remove the threat.

I've not had any trouble though when sunbathing in an out of the way public spot, not completely invisible, but not out "showing off" either.

Iowan

First let me say, I am not a lawyer.  Second, I am sorry if this is a little long and confused. 

Third, this is only for the unlikley event that you will have trouble with police.

Let me say that was good advice by Rogerp, about not running off. 

Next comes the police interview.  You have to decide if you are going to sweet talk the officer or go silent.  Personally I think talking to the officer in a civilized and friendly tone gets you a long way.  being open and polite has gotten us out of sticky situations before.  Once my girlfriend backed out of a parking space and hit a car passing behind us.  We were reasonable, friendly and calm. The old man in the other car was abusive. He got the ticket, the officer said we could just go.  See what I mean.

You may ask to if you are free to go. If they say yes, then go. If they say no, you may not be under arrest. They are just 'detaining' you to determine if they should do something more. At this point they are still trying to come to a conclusion. Remember they probably don't want to have to take you in a book you, it? a hassle. So while they are in the decision making process put your best foot forward.

I am not sure, but think that in most places in the US, you are required to give your correct name if arrested. Not doing so will probably get you charged with obstruction. It is very important not to give a false name since that amounts to obstruction, an additional offence that may well result in a jail sentence. You might as will give your name when asked. If you don? then they may arrest you just to find out.

Since this is a thong board we should address the thong issues:

• At the first opportunity slip on a shirt. The officer is talking to the top of you and this will lessen their discomfort. You may want to slip on shorts, but that may be an informal admission that you should have had them on before hand. I have talked to officers while wearing a thong with no problems, but this is Fort Lauderdale. (We were talking about the closing of a section of beach for an air-see show.)
• Don? cower. Don? look guilty. Guilt is in the eye of the beholder. I know it when I see it. Don? cower, be calm.
• When nervous your voice comes out squawky. So start warming it up by being pleasant and saying hello and how are you. Mention the nice day, get your voice warmed up and you calmed down. Set the tone and take the ice of the situation.
• You will probably be asked what you are doing. "Getting some sun" is a valid answer.
• If asked why you are wearing ?hat? You have the opportunity to say you would rather be nude but this is what the law requires. (Shows you are a law abiding citizen, or at least trying to be one.)

You may be asked your name. This is a common question by cops who are not really interested but are watching how you answer.  They are trying to size up your attitude to see if you act guilty.   You are only going to be asked to prove your name and address if the officer has decided to write you a ticket or arrest you. In that case, if you are away from your towel or gear you may say, "I have identification over there, would you like me to retrieve it." This allows you to pickup your stuff. Disadvantage, turning your back. (At this point thongs are better than g-strings, even if they only have a 1" wide rear like the NorthStar or Skinz "Banded Thong")

Don? lecture the officer. Don? talk about your rights, constitutional or otherwise. Shut up.  If you want to say something, explain that you are wearing what you are because you believe it conforms to the local laws. Police like people who are interested in compliance.

Hopefully the police just want to talk to you to hear your side of the incident and to evaluate you to see if you pose a risk to the community . They will probably start by asking for your name, and what you are doing.  If they see no harm, and if they see that you are a rational and friendly person you will probably be let go. Even if they think you are in the wrong, and you have been friendly and cooperative, they may just issue you a warning.

If the interview has come to what appears to be a conclusion, you may want to ask politly if you can go now.   If they say yes, walk away.  If they say no, you have to work out if its time to ask if you are under arrest.  It may be best not to ask, and let them figure a way out.  They may just be waiting for the complaient to go away.  You may do best to remain polite, friendly, sane.  If they decide that you don? pose a risk and just let you go with a warning or a suggestion to cover up.

If the interview takes some time don? get inpatient. The longer you are detained with out formally being arrested the more likely you are going to be let go. If they had good grounds for arrest, then they would have already done it.   You may think that if they call for backup it's a bad sign,  but maybe they are just calling a supervisor with more knowledge.

If they give you a ticket on the spot you are likely to be asked for proof of ID. Like a traffic ticket, they will need to verify your name and address. This option is a lot better option than getting formally arrested for any number of reasons. (You don't go to jail; the officer may get the code section wrong on the ticket, or they may not turn up on the court date.)

If you are formally arrested then the guide lines normally say: Don't actively resist the arrest, Don't be verbally abusive or violent, Do express any concerns you may have, but in a civil manner if circumstances permit. (For instance, if the police have put handcuffs on too tightly or if the arrested person has some medical condition that the police should be aware of.) If you want get dressed or pickup up your stuff on the beach they will probably accompany you. It is normal for them to allow you to gather your stuff, put on cloths, and get your wallet before taking you away. Just ask politely.

If you have been arrested then DO NOT try to argue the legal points. It gets you no benefit. It only antagonize the police and is very unlikely to change the fact that you have been arrested. Beat cops are not judges. Once they have decided to arrest you they have to take you down town and identify you. Nothing you can say will change that process, so you are probably wise to shut up.

Be aware of your rights. In addition to having the proper grounds for an arrest and legally effecting the arrest, police have some duties to perform upon arrest. First, they must inform you of the reason for the arrest. The police don't have to give you the exact charge initially, just a reason for the arrest. They must later formally charge you, normally at the earliest possible opportunity.

Second, they must eventually inform you of your right to consult legal counsel. This need not occur immediately upon arrest however, it must be done at a relatively early point. The information they provide should be in a language you can understand; indicate the right to consult counsel; inform you about the availability of legal aid and/or duty counsel and provide you with the phone numbers or other means of getting in touch with legal aid.

So if you are arrested you may want to state "I am going to remain silent, I want to speak to a lawyer." (If you had a lawyer then that is probably the advice they would give.) But do give your true name and address, preferably by showing your one piece of photo ID, and allow yourself to be photographed and fingerprinted; this helps toward getting released. You are not getting out until they positively identify you. Remain calm and wait to speak with your lawyer. Do not talk with anyone else about the circumstances of your arrest, including other prisoners, friends and family.

Don't sign anything except a court apperance ticket. (Like a traffic ticket, that you will appear in court at a later date). Don't sign a document that is a statement of facts or a summary of what you or others have said. They may encourage you to do so but you have the right to have your lawyer review it first.  If they want to video an interview with you I suggest you decline the interview.  They are attempting to gain evedance to use against you, you don't need to help them.

In general you must give your name and address but are not obliged to answer any other questions or sign anything. Questions are often asked by the police in order to obtain evidence against people. That means you! Answering questions (innocent as they may sound) may limit the types of defenses that could later be used in court.  It may be best to answer "I do not want to say anything at this stage" to every question, and that you might answer questions after speaking with your lawyer. Your non-response cannot be used as evidence against you. Anything you do say or sign may be used as evidence in court. Of course if there is a genuine explanation of conduct it may be preferable to give it, but most lawyers would council that silence is the best practice.

Giving false information to a police officer is an offence. Therefor sticking to name and address is probably a good move.

Advice will vary depending on exactly where you are. Different laws exist on state, federal and city levels. It may depend on the side of the tree that you are standing on or if you are within xx number of feet of yy building. (Yes the US is a psychotic nation)

For a few general guidelines try the following links. As you will see the advice is reasonably consistent in any country where the law is based on English common law.  LInks are a little random but you get the idea.

<< A good guide is the second page of the document on this link >>

Getting Arrested in WA

Australia

I've had several incidents like this before as well, because I was wearing extremely skimpy shorts while out jogging and/or walking, where I was stopped by police officers and questioned.  The excuses have ranged from:

1.  Someone reported a jogger/walker in their underwear;

2.  Someone reported a drunk jogger/walker who stepped in and out of the street;

3.  Are you okay?  Why are you out here this late at night? 

I only thong on uninhabited desert trails - not while jogging on major roads or even minor roads.  I would never go naked - in just about every U.S. state, you are guilty of indecent exposure if your genitals are not covered.  In any event, cooperation and politeness is the name of the game. 

--don

I appreciate the intelligent and rational discussions in this thread.  Years ago, noticing that cops often didn't know the law, I took a day off and spent it at the library, reading and copying portions of the city, county and state codes.  I wanted data on driving offenses as well as on "lewd clothing", the latter because I had thongs and net shorts.  All of my photocopied data were organized into a binder and placed under my car seat, ready to show a cop if need be.

Fortunately, I never needed to use these data!  JM Runs has said it as clearly as anyone, and, having watched the behavior of cops on the show "Cops", I fully recognize that: 1) cops have to be tough bastards just in order to assert their authority in our country of street gang toughs; 2) cops frequently do not know the law; 3) the difference between whether someone is arrested, warned or let go has more to do with the mood of the officer, and will vary greatly from one cop to another; 4) there are "good cops" and there are "bad cops"...therefore, we have to be prepared to deal with a "bad cop" delicately, or he will exercise his assumed prerogative to show what a bully he can be.

We Portlanders have had our share of problems with our police.  Once, one arrested my 21-year-old daughter because she crossed the street at the crosswalk when it said "wait".  She was handcuffed and booked and thrown into a holding cell where she had to spend the night until they released her without charge.  Being divorced, I had not heard of the incident until it was too late, which is fortunate because I would have gotten myself arrest, too.  I had always taught my kids to respect police---and they do---so this brutal treatment is an ugly mark on our police, even though they acted as they did because they had orders to crack down on youth who were hanging around downtown after hours when the business owners didn't want them there.  It's clear to me that Lisa could have gotten a lawyer and made the cop shop apologize, at least.  And this is what I would do if cops violated my rights on the thong issue.  I agonize over the vision of my sweet girl crying her eyes out all night in a jail for doing something most of us do all the time without trouble.  But, after reading JM Runs' comments, I think it would be a mistake to use my photocopies of the Code to flash the facts into the eyes of a poor cop.  I'll just keep them for personal reference, be cool with the cops, and contact my lawyer if my rights have been violated.  And by the way, no one should look for a "cheap lawyer"; the extra expense is worth having a lawyer with real teeth.