It’s #STFUfriday!
When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:
- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.
- Am I free to leave?
- I am not answering any questions.
- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."
- I want to speak to a lawyer.
Remember, US police are allowed to lie. They are trained to claim they have witnesses, DNA, surveillance, etc.
But you lying to them is often illegal. Don't risk it. Just STFU. Ask for a lawyer.
As with every #STFUfriday post, I'm a lawyer in the USA. These comments are based on law in the USA. (And they apply to all people in the USA, whether or not they are citizens.) Some US states provide more protections than this. /END
Police are terrified that their ability to lie to coerce confessions will be taken away from them. See for example: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/02/09/washington-state-police-lying-ruses-law
One of my favorite scenes from an old episode of "Cops" had a police officer looking for a suspect and arriving at someone's residence. When he asks if the woman there has seen the suspect she says, rather loudly, "I ain't tellin' you shit!"
The cop turned and walked away.
I laughed so hard.