Talking to cops

[Woozie]

Suppose a cop wanted to talk to a friend of mine for some reason investigating some matter. The cop has no right to force you to talk, right? If you just say "no", there are no legal penalties, right? Even if they have strong reason to believe you actually do know something?

[Militant]

Technically you are right to a degree, but I believe (and this could vary state to state) if the cop has probable cause he does have the right to question you. Somewhere along those lines "Obstructing Justice" comes into play, where exactly I'm not sure. The key is, a cop can basically make up a reason to say he has probable cause, and 999 times out of a 1000, his suspicion of probable cause will hold up in court.

[Blarg]

I believe what race you are matters

[aurik]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

[Woozie]

I believe what race you are matters

That's a relief. This person is white.

Also, thanks a lot, Aurik.

[aurik]

It is actually quite an interesting talk, I recommend it for everyone.

[quannum]

co-signing

everyone should watch this even though its long.

[Obev]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

Saw thread title, thought of this video. Co-co-signed. Lawyer up.

[Fhqwghads]

It's a long video, but right on the money.

To paraphrase:

Don't talk to cops. They are not your friends. Even the most benign situation where you think you are 100% in the clear, anything you say can and WILL be used against you, just like the police say when they make an arrest. All you have to tell them is "I reserve the right not to incriminate myself." Even if you know you're innocent and think what you tell them will straighten things out, it can easily backfire. If they have enough reason to talk to you, they might have enough reason to arrest you. Even if you're only a witness you may say something that could easily be used to link you to whatever the hell is happening. It's better to make a trip to the police station and have your lawyer or a public defender deal with them instead of serving time in prison for something you didn't do. Even if you DID do something, there's still no reason to talk to them as you could easily dig yourself deeper.

[archibaldcrane]

Especially if you DID do something, there's still no reason to talk to them as you could easily dig yourself deeper.

ftfy

It's way easier to get a confession than to actually get evidence to prosecute. Don't give them the easy way out.

[Yabby]

Make those bitches work.

[Omniyoji]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

Saw thread title, thought of this video. Co-co-signed. Lawyer up.

As did I. Also here's another one:

[quannum]

Even if you know you're innocent and think what you tell them will straighten things out, it can easily backfire.

this is the part most people without a gpass won't get without watching the clip.

even if you're 100% innocent with a provable alibi, they will find cracks in your "likely story" because its their job ... the cop in the clip backs that up.

[Kenshiin]

Loved the video. I would still like to know what's the best thing to say to a cop when you get pulled over for speeding.

[zoobernut]

The second video posted talks exactly about the situation of what is best to say when you get pulled over. Be polite, ask the officer why they pulled you over, accept the ticket gracefully and ask if you are free to go. That is the gist of it.

If the officer asks you to exit your vehicle make sure to lock it behind you.

[jmc]

Before I could give a valid insight into what your friend should do, it would be helpful to actually know why the officer would like to talk to him.

Can PM me if you wish, but there's so many different situations when talking to a officer could just be absolutely nothing.

[Sylvrdragon]

Loved the video. I would still like to know what's the best thing to say to a cop when you get pulled over for speeding.

Nothing at all, or respond with a question.

Cop: "Do you know why I pulled you over?"
You: "Why DID you pull me over officer?" or perhaps "Please, tell me."

Cop: "Do you know how fast you were going?"
You: "How fast?"

Though in all reality, if you were speeding and you know it, and they know it, nothing you say is going to get you off if they don't feel like letting you off. Just make sure you don't lie. You could say "I don't know", but if that happens to be a lie, you better never contradict it at any later point. Best to just answer with a question.

[Dimmauk]

Loved the video. I would still like to know what's the best thing to say to a cop when you get pulled over for speeding.

[Tyche]

It pains me to say it, but I've been pulled over for traffic violations over 30 times. I haven't been pulled over in probably 5 years, but when I was younger, I was quite the speeder. Here's how you get out of traffic tickets.

1. Find a safe spot to pull over. A spot that keeps the officer completely clear of harms way. I once drove for 5 minutes after the officer flipped his lights on so I could find a spot he would be safe. Slow down, put on hazards, and find a safe spot.

2. Once pulled over, roll down your windows, and put your hands on the window seal. Ever see those videos where a standard traffic stops turns into a police officer being gunned down? yeah, so has the cop pulling you over. Make him comfortable, show him your hands.

3. When he asks the standard "do you know....", simply reply "No, I'm sorry sir, I was distracted...". Ever been distracted? yeah, we all have. it's not against the law to be distracted, everyone gets distracted, I do, you do, the police do. It happens.

4. No sudden movements. if you have to reach in the glove box for your paperwork, alert the officer that you are going to reach into the glovebox to get paperwork. Alert the officer that you're going to reach into your pocket for your wallet. Never, ever ever ever gather your paperwork before you are asked for it. Can you imagine what a cop is thinking if he sees you reaching into your glove box as he's approaching the car or as he's behind you?

5. Make sure your damn paperwork is not crumbled up and have 6 kinds of stains on it. That shit would piss me the fuck off.

Just keep your hands on the steering wheel while he/she is talking to you. Be polite. Don't be a dick. Dont act like you were singled out.

Most importantly:
Don't have sports related bumper stickers? If I was a Dolphins fan and you had a jets bumper sticker, I'm probably not giving you the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn't do political stickers, or any other polarizing attachments to your vehicle (Darwinism fish, etc).

Oh, and don't be black.

Of the 30+ times I've been pulled over, I've been issued 3 citations. Two of those I beat in court, which is a whole different lecture. The one I did pay for was for 6mph over and I just paid it out of court.

[SephYuyX]

Before I could give a valid insight into what your friend should do, it would be helpful to actually know why the officer would like to talk to him.

Can PM me if you wish, but there's so many different situations when talking to a officer could just be absolutely nothing.

Rest assure, jm will be taking your PM "off the record".