Guilty or Innocent, Don't Talk to the Cops!

[Ben86]

I have found to gems of videos on youtube explaining why you should not to talk to cops concerning your innocence or guilt, and I feel compelled to share them. The first is explained by a former defense attorney and the second by a police officer. I felt these videos are very useful for learning about a subject that is often not talked about because it is considered anti-social. I also want to make it clear that this thread is not meant to bash cops or the justice system, just help people develop a better legal understanding.

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik&playnext_from=TL&videos=nqiVhylaeZU

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE&feature=related

 

[CoRoMo]

Good video; posted here often. But #2 is included in #1, right? It is just the tail end of #1, separated out.

 

[Manco]

I've watched these videos before, and they make sense to me. The point is implicit in the constitutional right that police officers are required by law to remind you of when you are being placed under arrest (i.e. the Miranda warning), which is your right to remain silent (based on the Fifth Amendment) because they'll use anything you say against you at their discretion. Actual criminals who know full well that they had committed a crime will typically do all they can to try to get away with it (although they often make the mistake of speaking while being arrested and during questioning), and those who are truly innocent should try no less hard to avoid wrongful incarceration by saying only what is required by law, which is nothing, and forcing prosecutors to prove their case if they even think that they have one.

The US judicial system is almost certainly the best there is in the entire world, but even so it's woefully imperfect (such is the inherent nature of the beast) and pretty much dog-eat-dog, where either side will say or do almost anything to make their case. The bottom line is that you stand to lose a lot more by speaking to police than not speaking to them. Speak in court if you feel that it would help, or let your attorney do all of your speaking for you (usually advisable), but do not let cops speak for you in court based on something they thought you said to them earlier--that's just begging for trouble. They're just doing their jobs in trying to bust and help prosecute bad guys, and maybe something you said or the way that you said it to them while still ill-prepared to defend yourself made them suspect that you're a bad guy, and no innocent person needs that (nor do bad guys who want to get away with crimes, for that matter ).

Sorry cops, it's nothing personal.

 

[coppermouse]

Our CCW instructor showed us those videos

 

[Frank Ettin]

This was discussed here at length not long ago. See http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=493380.