Don't Talk to the Police - video by law professor

[ChaosCatalunya]

You missed the entire point.

The point is, he didn't talk to anybody UNTIL he was in court. That is the point of this.

Say nothing to the police when they try to question you.

Exactly.

He was in a mad panic, Customs had arrested him, after a few years of cat and mouse, they thought they had him. They walked up to him, alone on a beach at 3am and said "Hello XXXXX, you are under arrest for importing a controlled substance, namely Hashish, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING, BUT ANYTHING YOU DO SAY CAN AND WILL BE TAKEN DOWN AND USED IN EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU"

So, he said nothing, waited to talk to his lawyer who pointed out he had nothing to hide and was just going fishing, no matter what 25 bulging eyed Customs and Excise officers were saying.

The same legal team got another friend off a different case that looked even worse - if that is possible - same story, matey did not panic, said nothing, spoke to lawyer, ended up getting a Not Guilty.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

Awesome post.

Did you see when he asked the cop how many people talked themselves out of being arrested? NONE!!

I also liked the whole bit about the recorder and how rooms are are recorded. When I got arrested the cop pulled me out of the holding cell and brought me into a room. First thing he said is this is off the record dont worry about the camera. I said "theres nothing I can say that will make you relase me" He says "Nope" " He starts in how sophistcated my op was and how he didnt think I was the brains and I should snitch the mastermind out. What he wanted me to do was tell him how smart I was and how the AC worked and blah blah. I just stood there, then I told him I appreciated the offer but I knew the camera was running and I would advice my lawyer of his offer to make a deal, and I wouldnt say anything else till I saw my lawyer.

I wish people here would realize just how fucking crooked the police are.

And that whole write a letter thing? My wife was asked to write one to the judge when she was being booked. When she told me I damn near snapped

 

[zeeba amoeba]

Awesome post.

Did you see when he asked the cop how many people talked themselves out of being arrested? NONE!!

I also liked the whole bit about the recorder and how rooms are are recorded. When I got arrested the cop pulled me out of the holding cell and brought me into a room. First thing he said is this is off the record dont worry about the camera. I said "theres nothing I can say that will make you relase me" He says "Nope" " He starts in how sophistcated my op was and how he didnt think I was the brains and I should snitch the mastermind out. What he wanted me to do was tell him how smart I was and how the AC worked and blah blah. I just stood there, then I told him I appreciated the offer but I knew the camera was running and I would advice my lawyer of his offer to make a deal, and I wouldnt say anything else till I saw my lawyer.

I wish people here would realize just how fucking crooked the police are.

And that whole write a letter thing? My wife was asked to write one to the judge when she was being booked. When she told me I damn near snapped

Yup, the cop was playing on your ego. If you were a lesser man you might have spoke up, due to pride. Best is to be humble and don't let anyone get leverage over you. Cops are just like anybody else, they're working the angles and trying to obtain an advantage. Once in custody, everything you do or say can and will be held against you.

If you're a gullible type person then you typically will get the maximum punishment. If you're very skeptical of other people (as you should be) then you might be ok, but there's still the problem of the weakest link, where the cops move on to your girlfriend or friend and apply pressure or psychology to them. They are looking for an easy conviction, anything to remove the onus of proof which is so often difficult to meet in a democratic society.

I wouldn't knock this tactic--let's call it what it is, lying and con games--because the cops also apply their games to murderers/rapists and we don't want killers going free, do we? The unfortunate aspect is that marijuana happens to be illegal at this point in time, but one day maybe we will have the cops on our side instead of working against us. That would be the ideal situation. Because then cops could go after rippers, those who sell to minors, those who peddle adulterated crap (like the pot with glass dust in it in the UK), those who string along addicts with heroin and fuel street crime...the "real" criminals. Instead of the average Joe who likes his smoke and abides by the law in other respects.

 

[Classyathome]

Great post - I loved the shots he took at the leo who was there (and leos in general).

Great lesson - guilty or innocent - say NOTHING...

(except for the words "lawyer, please")

 

[goodmangigabyte]

But what if you're truly, really innocent, with an airtight alibi, you don't think it's ok to talk to the police? I mean, a lot of times the police just want to find out if you could be a witness, they're not looking at you as a suspect, in that situation wouldn't it be ok to tell them what you know or don't know?
Like if your neighbor got burglarized, cop comes to your door and asks if you saw anything suspicious, what are you gonna say: I need to talk to a lawyer first? No, you're gonna say, I didn't see chit last night, sorry.
Of course, when they stop you as an obvious suspect (ex: they bust a grow house and you're inside at the time), and it's clear they're going to arrest you no matter what you say, then obviously you don't say anything. They could catch you with a pound of weed in your hands and you still shouldn't say anything but your name and that you want to talk to your lawyer.
I'm just saying, in some situations, it's ok to talk to the police because refusing to do so might be suspicious.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

But what if you're truly, really innocent, with an airtight alibi, you don't think it's ok to talk to the police? I mean, a lot of times the police just want to find out if you could be a witness, they're not looking at you as a suspect, in that situation wouldn't it be ok to tell them what you know or don't know?
Like if your neighbor got burglarized, cop comes to your door and asks if you saw anything suspicious, what are you gonna say: I need to talk to a lawyer first? No, you're gonna say, I didn't see chit last night, sorry.
Of course, when they stop you as an obvious suspect (ex: they bust a grow house and you're inside at the time), and it's clear they're going to arrest you no matter what you say, then obviously you don't say anything. They could catch you with a pound of weed in your hands and you still shouldn't say anything but your name and that you want to talk to your lawyer.
I'm just saying, in some situations, it's ok to talk to the police because refusing to do so might be suspicious.

Interesting question but I think that part of what the professor was trying to say is that even if you are 100% truthful, even your truthful statements can bite you. Using your example of neighbor's house got burglarized and the cops come to your door to ask if you saw or heard anything. They don't suspect you as the burglar. You tell them "nope, didnt see or hear anything, I was inside watching tv all day, sorry". They leave and go across the street and the old lady across the street says "I thought I saw goodmangigabyte in the yard around that time" (even though she's confused and saw you yesterday). Now, the cops think you lied to them and you become suspect #1. If you decline to speak to the cops in the first place, they may be suspicious of you but you gave them no reason to look at you further, even if the old lady says she saw you outside. You don't have to mention a lawyer or anything, just respectfully say that you have nothing to say to them about it.

 

[goodmangigabyte]

That's a good counterpoint, IGT.
But what if, your other neighbor said "I thought I saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night" and then they come back and talk to you and you say "I was in my yard two nights ago, raking some leaves".
And they say "Well your neighbor said you were in your yard last night" and you say "Well she must be confused then". They dont have enough to arrest you, or for a search warrant. Maybe you're lying, maybe your neighbor is just plain confused. Unless your neighbor says: I for sure saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night, I will swear to it on a stack of bibles, the cops have no reason to suspect that you're lying. It's perfectly plausible that witnesses forget things, make mistakes, remember things wrongly.
I just think that there's situations where, if the cops approach you and you say you don't want to talk to them, that might make them more suspicious than if you did talk to them...

 

[ItsGrowTime]

That's a good counterpoint, IGT.
But what if, your other neighbor said "I thought I saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night" and then they come back and talk to you and you say "I was in my yard two nights ago, raking some leaves".
And they say "Well your neighbor said you were in your yard last night" and you say "Well she must be confused then". They dont have enough to arrest you, or for a search warrant. Maybe you're lying, maybe your neighbor is just plain confused. Unless your neighbor says: I for sure saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night, I will swear to it on a stack of bibles, the cops have no reason to suspect that you're lying. It's perfectly plausible that witnesses forget things, make mistakes, remember things wrongly.
I just think that there's situations where, if the cops approach you and you say you don't want to talk to them, that might make them more suspicious than if you did talk to them...

Ah, but you make the assumption that the police are trying to truly find whoever burglarized your neighbor's house, not just be happy with a winnable case, if even against the wrong person. And that's the moral of the story why you don't talk to the police. The old lady can say all she wants but even if you are arrested based only on her testimony, your attorney can cut her up (How old are you again? Were you wearing your glasses? My Cousin Vinny type stuff) at trial. If you say something to the police and she contradicts you, the cop then becomes a witness saying "Goodmangigabyte said he was in the yard two nights earlier but apparently he lied to me about that". I think the point is to make sure you don't turn a police officer/detective into another witness against you. If you zip your lip there's nothing for them to testify about. A case then goes from an old lady's recollection against you only, to a professional witness (cop) and a harmless old lady against you only.

 

[inflorescence]

Great post. I thought I knew a lot but I learned a lot from that vid.

Never even thought about the apology letter angle till he mentioned it.

But yeah, the whole olympic boxer thing is so true. That's all these guys do, all day long.

I like to think about it like this.

Think about your job or you daily routine, profession.
After a while it's just so second nature.
ANY little thing out of the ordinary you're gonna easily notice.
That's how these pigs are. You won't even notice a litlle slip up while to them that's all they'll see.

 

[happyinmendo]

People should tell all their friends that would need this information until they memorize it and are ready to recite it off the hip. You never know when you could need this. You may be mildly drunk after a birthday party, or gathering, etc. You get pulled over, and want to explain yourself. BAD IDEA!

 

[Merfolk]

Nice Video, thanks!

 

[minigreens]

wouldnt a cop get ticked off if you didnt speak to him, like in the case of a neighborhood burglary?

what exactly would you say when you open the door and the cop starts asking you questions? shut the door on him? i would think that would send a red flag to the cop and then he could probably pull a couple tricks to get you into the case as a suspect, just for not cooperating.

if a cop is willing to put away an innocent mentally ill just because he can put together a good case, why not put away some guy that doesn't cooperate with police and thinks he so smart using the 5th? not saying every cop would do this, but its possible

 

[yamaha_1fan]

That's a good counterpoint, IGT.
But what if, your other neighbor said "I thought I saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night" and then they come back and talk to you and you say "I was in my yard two nights ago, raking some leaves".
And they say "Well your neighbor said you were in your yard last night" and you say "Well she must be confused then". They dont have enough to arrest you, or for a search warrant. Maybe you're lying, maybe your neighbor is just plain confused. Unless your neighbor says: I for sure saw goodmangigabyte in his yard last night, I will swear to it on a stack of bibles, the cops have no reason to suspect that you're lying. It's perfectly plausible that witnesses forget things, make mistakes, remember things wrongly.
I just think that there's situations where, if the cops approach you and you say you don't want to talk to them, that might make them more suspicious than if you did talk to them...

I dont think there is any situation where you should talk to them. I think you are missing the point about how anything you say can be used against you, even if you are innocent and truthful

 

[ItsGrowTime]

wouldnt a cop get ticked off if you didnt speak to him, like in the case of a neighborhood burglary?

what exactly would you say when you open the door and the cop starts asking you questions? shut the door on him? i would think that would send a red flag to the cop and then he could probably pull a couple tricks to get you into the case as a suspect, just for not cooperating.

if a cop is willing to put away an innocent mentally ill just because he can put together a good case, why not put away some guy that doesn't cooperate with police and thinks he so smart using the 5th? not saying every cop would do this, but its possible

The cop still has to have evidence against you to present to a jury and someone invoking the 5th Amendment is not evidence and can not be used against you. If you refuse to answer any questions, they have no evidence (if you are truly innocent). If you are guilty, make them do the work and build a case. Don't give them their case with your own statements. Besides, if a dickhead cop gets pissed that you aren't talking to them and decides to charge you based on that alone, it'll never make it to trial and you'll have very good grounds for a civil lawsuit for wrongful arrest.
Did you actually watch both videos? If not, please do. You'll understand afterward.

 

[minigreens]

i didnt finish the second video yet, fell asleep haha

that makes sense

 

[newbgrow]

wouldnt a cop get ticked off if you didnt speak to him, like in the case of a neighborhood burglary?

what exactly would you say when you open the door and the cop starts asking you questions? shut the door on him? i would think that would send a red flag to the cop and then he could probably pull a couple tricks to get you into the case as a suspect, just for not cooperating.

if a cop is willing to put away an innocent mentally ill just because he can put together a good case, why not put away some guy that doesn't cooperate with police and thinks he so smart using the 5th? not saying every cop would do this, but its possible

I think there are some situations where you would talk to a cop; the point to take home is to be very mindful of what you say and don't expound on any details that were not asked of you. For example, in the 'neighbor' case, just say "I don't know, I didn't see anything," without telling him what you were doing unless you were specifically asked. That would prevent the old lady situation. Obviously, if they had reason to accuse you of anything, don't play into their rhetoric.

 

[minigreens]

the video made it sound like ANYTHNG you say can be used against you. even something as innocent as 'i dont know, i didnt see anything'
lets say the neighbor lady swears that she saw you outside...then in court its your word against the neighbor lady and the cop's

but it seems wise to say something, rather than say 'i do not wish to speak' and close to the door. then you just seem like you are hiding something

 

[Bumble Buddy]

The presetenters in both of those videos are mostly correct, BUT their categorical rejection of ever speaking to police fails to take into account certain situations. If in the past, had I always "taken the 5th" when stopped by police, there is no doubt that I would have been popped multiple times on pot related offenses, as it is, I've yet to ever get into trouble. Sweet talking, cajoling, sympathizing, empathizing, storytelling, joking, etc, etc... can serve one well, in particular if you have not yet been arrested.

 

[twojoints]

What stood out the most to me is the part where talking to police is a one way street. They can use whatever you say against you but you can't use anything you say in your own defense. Never knew that!

i found that out... in court... the hard way....

 

[twojoints]

I think there are some situations where you would talk to a cop; the point to take home is to be very mindful of what you say and don't expound on any details that were not asked of you. For example, in the 'neighbor' case, just say "I don't know, I didn't see anything," without telling him what you were doing unless you were specifically asked. That would prevent the old lady situation. Obviously, if they had reason to accuse you of anything, don't play into their rhetoric.

i think a better bet is to have a peephole installed in your door so when the cops come you simply leave the door closed.