It applies to plainclothes policemen... Basically a random person stopping/coming up to you and saying they're police asking for id and to search you / whateve

It applies to plainclothes policemen... Basically a random person stopping/coming up to you and saying they're police asking for id and to search you / whatever... I've personally had an encounter like this long time ago where I just ran away, was stopped by uniformed officers a small distance away, explained I was scared and just got a thorough search / left alone. You would be wise to be afraid in situations like this, especially in dark areas. If someone asks for ID or time, light, etc, it's likely a pretense to get close enough to mug you. (see if phone is worth it, or in the past if there's money in wallet)