NEVER-EVER Talk To The Police

From the cow's, or lawyer mouth, #4 seems like the best reason NOT TO TALK TO THE POLICE.

REASON #1: Talking to the police CANNOT help you. If the police are talking to you, it’s because they suspect you have committed a crime.
No one has ever “talked his way out of” an arrest. If the police have enough evidence to arrest, they will.

REASON #2: Even if you’re guilty, and you want to confess and get it off your chest, you still shouldn’t talk to the police. There is plenty of time to confess and admit guilt at a later stage of the proceedings. Get a lawyer first. Let the lawyer set up a deal whereby you get something in exchange for accepting responsibility for the offense

REASON #3: Even if you are innocent, it’s easy to tell some little white lie in the course of a statement.
This kind of thing happens all the time. A person who is completely innocent and who is trying to vehemently assert their innocence will go overboard and take it a little bit too far and deny some insignificant fact, tell some little white lie. But if the police have evidence of that lie, it makes your entire statement look like a lie. The prosecutor will ask: “Why did he lie to the police? Why indeed would he lie to the police, unless he were guilty?”

REASON #4: Even if you are innocent, and you only tell the truth, and you don’t tell any little white lies, it is possible to give the police some detail of information that can be used to convict you.
For example, a suspect is being questioned about a murder. He is truly innocent of the murder. But in the course of explaining his innocence, he makes the statement that he never liked the victim, because the victim was not a nice guy. A statement like that could be used to prove motive.

REASON #5: Even if you were innocent, and you only tell the truth, and you don’t tell any little white lies, and you don’t give the police any information that can be used against you to prove motive or opportunity, you still should not talk to the police because the possibility that the police might not recall your statement with 100% accuracy.

REASON #6: Even if you’re innocent, and your statement is video taped, an innocent person can still make some innocent assumption about a fact or state some detail about the case they overheard on the way to the police station, and the police will assume that they only way the suspect could have known that fact or that detail was if he was, in fact, guilty.


REASON #7: Even if you’re innocent, and you only tell the truth in your statement, and you give the police no information that can be used against you, and the whole statement is videotaped, a suspect’s answers can still be used against him if the police (through no fault of their own) have any evidence that any of the suspect’s statements are false (even if they are really true).
Suppose the police have a statement from a witness who claims to have seen the suspect in the area where the crime was committed at the time of the incident. Suppose further that this witness is actually wrong, but has made an honest mistake.

REASON #8: The police do not have authority to make deals or grant a suspect leniency in exchange for getting as statement.

REASON #9: Even if a suspect is guilty, and wants to confess, there may be mitigating factors which justify a lesser charge.

Mitigating factors are rarely brought out by the police in an interview. Normally, police want to focus on the facts that will suggest the suspect has committed the most severe crime possible.

REASON #10: Even for a completely honest and innocent person, it is difficult to tell the same story twice in exactly the same way.

I Grew up in a home where my dad was a police officer 17 years detective 10, and his dad was a police officer for 31 years. I (and my sisters and brother) have first hand experience with the interrogation skills that can be employed to find out who scratched the car. If you are talking to the police, other than saying a passing hi, there is a reason.
Remember the police do this for a living, they aren't your friend, they aren't nervous, they aren't late for work, they aren't worried about the police deciding their guilt or innocence. The best thing to do is ask if you are free to leave and then DO IT.

Live to fight another day, be a short but respectful and say NOTHING, get an attorney if it is serious. The police have great power, and skill. But they don't have the power to make you talk.




www.kirkpiccione.com...

If you are under criminal investigation then yes, this is good advice. But if I am being pulled over for a tail light, I am not going to act like an ass over it.

a reply to: seasonal

So many people get caught up thinking they can explain their innocence.
Then get hooked up.
Never trust a cop.

This sounds like a police drama television series and nothing like reality.

I have family members that are cops too, and just about all of that is laughable.

a reply to: seasonal

I learned this the hard way and now know just to ask if I'm getting arrested and what law I've broken.

say nothing else and ask of you can leave. respectfully of course

originally posted by: iTruthSeeker
If you are under criminal investigation then yes, this is good advice. But if I am being pulled over for a tail light, I am not going to act like an ass over it.

This is my feeling as well. If you want to interrogate me, you'll have to contact my attorney. If I'm just getting a traffic violation, well, Good afternoon, sorry about that sir, take care.

-Alee

As a rule I have two things I say when dealing with officers: Nothing and I don't know. This is of course dependent upon the nature of the conversation taking place. In some cases it is best to just tell them what they want to hear.

This is pathetic ... sorry for the one line response but this is just stupid

a reply to: jjkenobi

what's laughable about knowing your rights? you have a right to remain silent and cops will violate those rights of you let them.

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: jjkenobi

what's laughable about knowing your rights? you have a right to remain silent and cops will violate those rights of you let them.

I'm 25 now but when I was a minor my LEO father always told me this: If you get caught up in a situation involving police you say nothing except "I need my attorney"

-Alee

originally posted by: ThePeaceMaker
This is pathetic ... sorry for the one line response but this is just stupid

Such a thoughtful counter to the OPs. I especially like the counter research you provided that would demonstrate how the original post is false and that you should talk to police.
The skill of your debate is impressive. I'm sold.

originally posted by: NerdGoddess

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: jjkenobi

what's laughable about knowing your rights? you have a right to remain silent and cops will violate those rights of you let them.

I'm 25 now but when I was a minor my LEO father always told me this: If you get caught up in a situation involving police you say nothing except "I need my attorney"

-Alee

Correct. any lawyer, cop, or criminal will all say the same thing
Dont talk to police outside of respectfully asking for an attorney. Thats it, no more.

obviously that doesn't mean every situation. a speeding ticket you dont have to go fully dramatic. however, if they ask how fast you were going, It might be best to say
"I don't know, can I see the radar? was there other people on the road beside me when clocked? when was it callibrated? Have you recieved full training on this?"
(thats a whole lot of talking..this is called how to potentially beat a speeding ticket if you see him starting to write.)

Always be respectful. They are just doing their job and dont need to get hassled.

If I get the time to find it there is a YouTube video from a law class in VA Beach, Va where a law professor who of course is a lawyer, and a 25 year veteran detective both give a lecture on why you never talk to police. It's very eye opening and about an hour long. Maybe someone will post it before I get off work.

a reply to: iTruthSeeker

If you are under criminal investigation then yes, this is good advice. But if I am being pulled over for a tail light, I am not going to act like an ass over it.

Correct, police have a lot of power, especially at 11pm on a dark deserted road. Like I said, be respectful but still don't offer anymore info than is required to complete a safe and non-eventful police stop.

a reply to: seasonal

It is good to remember as well, that police are taught that they can lie and that it is good to lie.

And they lie all the time.

Just know this, a liar is not trustworthy. I know several police who think they are trustworthy that lie all the time. But I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

The idea that you can lie and be trustworthy is so laughable. It is what is shredding apart our society at its very fabric. You see liars are NOT trustworthy and they cause everyone to be suspicious of everything because when they found out you were lying you become untrustworthy.

And believe you me, all lies are revealed. Everything comes to the light, and only the truth remains. Thus eventually all police and politician and everyone else that is a liar is eventually shown to be untrustworthy.

a reply to: loveofneighbor

It is good to remember as well, that police are taught that they can lie and that it is good to lie.

With all that power that a police officer has, that is the real difference between their LIES, and a person at work lie. A police officer lies, it can end life as you know it.

Rather 100 guilty go free than 1 innocent person be deprived of freedom (prison).

You are right, the police are either liars or are truthful.

Before meeting my husband, I dated the top criminal defense attorney in St Louis. We broke up... personality conflict, but stayed in contact all these years. He gives me lots of cards when we meet for luNCH etc.. every time he says, dont say a word, dont even shake your head yes or no, dont let them provoke you into any response... hand them my card and say contact my attorney. LOL!

I know him well, youre damned right Im taking his advise.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: loveofneighbor

It is good to remember as well, that police are taught that they can lie and that it is good to lie.

With all that power that a police officer has, that is the real difference between their LIES, and a person at work lie. A police officer lies, it can end life as you know it.

Rather 100 guilty go free than 1 innocent person be deprived of freedom (prison).

You are right, the police are either liars or are truthful.

And sometimes it may take years maybe even decades before the lie is revealed.

I was just thinking about your response and the story of The Count of Monte Cristo came to mind. For anyone who knows it.

Edmond Dantes was falsely accused arrested and thrown into prison for over a decade. And during that time his mind was able to reveal to himself all of the fabrication and lies involved. In the story he escaped and got revenge. That doesn't always happen, and he should have done like the old man told him, not get revenge, "revenge belongs to God my child."

a reply to: Advantage

dont say a word, dont even shake your head yes or no, dont let them provoke you into any response... hand them my card and say contact my attorney.

Now that is a great point. The signals that we would give off, because this a HUGE deal to us and maybe a nervous wreck. Not so much for the police, it's just another Monday or whatever. But yes, mind your gestures.

Thanks I didn't think of that and neither did the very good source that I tagged for this thread.

a reply to: seasonal

I like the police. they stop me from being a hardened criminal.

I learnt that long ago.