Because everyone thinks they’re just going to either explain what happened and it’ll all be fine (it won’t), or they think they can just weave a great big lie and the cops will buy it (they won’t). Don’t talk to the police without an attourney. If you’re in that chair, it’s because they want to implicate you in some way, regardless of right or wrong. While they might throw a fit about it, refusing to speak without an attourney present is your right and is in no way an admission of guilt.
Either that, or police use the Reid technique and subject you to interrogation and psychological torture for multiple days while keeping you in maximum security in prison, of course unfortunately without any recording (a lá Richard Allen - and what a tank he was, withstood their interrogation for superhuman amounts of time until they finally broke him).
So yeah there’s 2 ways: corrupt police departments and criminals that are way too confident.
You do have to specifically invoke the right, though. But all you really have to say is, “I’m invoking my 5th amendment right to stay silent and will not be answering questions without an attorney present.”
explain what happened and it’ll all be fine (it won’t)
A few times during traffic stops when I was younger (white male), I was so defenseless and trusting that in retrospect I can tell the cops were befuddled and just let me go even though I admitted to an infraction.
That said the stakes couldn’t have been lower, and I wouldn’t try it again.
a town next to the one i grew up in was notorious for asshole cops. i got stopped there multiple times as a teenager under false traffic bullshit ‘you ran a red’ etc. we were dumb and just let the cops search our cars and accuse us of being high and etc. they found nothing, but usually let us go after trying to intimidate us for an hour. i had one of them try to tell me my cd to tape player was illegal or something and threaten to arrest me for having burned cds.
i think they just want us to freak out or cry or something. they usually got pissed off with our polite compliance.
The vast majority of cops are really dumb, so I disagree with this statement. However, cops are highly motivated to not give a shit about whether a suspect is actually guilty. They’re motivated to get a confession or conviction, regardless of innocence or guilt.
I would qualify this further to say that cops are motivated to make as many arrests and lay as many charges that have a potential to get a conviction as possible. They don’t really care if half or more of the charges get downgraded or tossed out, but they will charge a person with ABCDWXYZ during an arrest, because that looks good to them. If the DA only gets B and X to stick, that’s fine, they got their arrest. It’s the scattergun approach to charging people and arresting them.
There’s a fair chance that wherever you go, whatever you do, there is something about you, your conduct during questioning, or your property that a cop can cite, charge or arrest you for. This is by design. This an age-old tactic by dictatorships and opressive regimes that work in their favour. It’s illegal for you to be you, and you aren’t locked up only by the grace of the oppressor. The result they want is that you behave, comply, and be quiet, or they will find something about you to bust you for.
Assuming the cops are dumb (enough) is a really risky strategy. And even if you are lucky and they are, they might just end up making a lucky guess.
Plus, they’ve been through this game hundreds of times, while you most likely have quite limited experience with the system (hopefully). Never underestimate that.
That is a much safer assumption. Assume they are both malicious and smart. If they aren’t, you haven’t lost anything (except for the very small chance to get away with something, but if you rely on the cops being benevolent and/or dumb, maybe overthink your whole plan).
Because everyone thinks they’re just going to either explain what happened and it’ll all be fine (it won’t), or they think they can just weave a great big lie and the cops will buy it (they won’t). Don’t talk to the police without an attourney. If you’re in that chair, it’s because they want to implicate you in some way, regardless of right or wrong. While they might throw a fit about it, refusing to speak without an attourney present is your right and is in no way an admission of guilt.
Either that, or police use the Reid technique and subject you to interrogation and psychological torture for multiple days while keeping you in maximum security in prison, of course unfortunately without any recording (a lá Richard Allen - and what a tank he was, withstood their interrogation for superhuman amounts of time until they finally broke him).
So yeah there’s 2 ways: corrupt police departments and criminals that are way too confident.
Just leaving this here.
You do have to specifically invoke the right, though. But all you really have to say is, “I’m invoking my 5th amendment right to stay silent and will not be answering questions without an attorney present.”
You also should request that attorney.
Just make sure you don’t ask for an attorney dog.
A few times during traffic stops when I was younger (white male), I was so defenseless and trusting that in retrospect I can tell the cops were befuddled and just let me go even though I admitted to an infraction.
That said the stakes couldn’t have been lower, and I wouldn’t try it again.
a town next to the one i grew up in was notorious for asshole cops. i got stopped there multiple times as a teenager under false traffic bullshit ‘you ran a red’ etc. we were dumb and just let the cops search our cars and accuse us of being high and etc. they found nothing, but usually let us go after trying to intimidate us for an hour. i had one of them try to tell me my cd to tape player was illegal or something and threaten to arrest me for having burned cds.
i think they just want us to freak out or cry or something. they usually got pissed off with our polite compliance.
The vast majority of cops are really dumb, so I disagree with this statement. However, cops are highly motivated to not give a shit about whether a suspect is actually guilty. They’re motivated to get a confession or conviction, regardless of innocence or guilt.
I would qualify this further to say that cops are motivated to make as many arrests and lay as many charges that have a potential to get a conviction as possible. They don’t really care if half or more of the charges get downgraded or tossed out, but they will charge a person with ABCDWXYZ during an arrest, because that looks good to them. If the DA only gets B and X to stick, that’s fine, they got their arrest. It’s the scattergun approach to charging people and arresting them.
There’s a fair chance that wherever you go, whatever you do, there is something about you, your conduct during questioning, or your property that a cop can cite, charge or arrest you for. This is by design. This an age-old tactic by dictatorships and opressive regimes that work in their favour. It’s illegal for you to be you, and you aren’t locked up only by the grace of the oppressor. The result they want is that you behave, comply, and be quiet, or they will find something about you to bust you for.
Assuming the cops are dumb (enough) is a really risky strategy. And even if you are lucky and they are, they might just end up making a lucky guess.
Plus, they’ve been through this game hundreds of times, while you most likely have quite limited experience with the system (hopefully). Never underestimate that.
I am not saying to assume that they’re dumb. I’m saying to assume that they’re malicious
That is a much safer assumption. Assume they are both malicious and smart. If they aren’t, you haven’t lost anything (except for the very small chance to get away with something, but if you rely on the cops being benevolent and/or dumb, maybe overthink your whole plan).
No. Assuming they’re smart isn’t necessary, nor is it realistic.
All you need to assume is that they’re malicious. They are rewarded for fucking people over. That’s all that matters
Now grow up and quit insisting on having the last word in the argument as if that makes you right
Nice bait: do I take it, and therefore lose, or do I not, and therefore let you have the last word?
Eh, we all know it. I am right, since I have the last word. I work at a pretty slow job, I have unlimited coffee and time, try me.