Jeff Goldstein has an interesting video in which an attorney explains the importance of the fifth amendment, and why you shouldn't talk to the police without first getting legal counsel, even if you're innocent. The video is 48+ minutes long. I've only had time to listen to the first ten minutes, but it's so fascinating I intend to go back and catch the rest of it.
Update: Of course, a good lawyer is to be preferred.
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I watched the whole thing and it was very informative. He gave equal time to a police officer at the end who corroborated the lawyer's speech.
ReplyDeleteExtremely informative. I plan on following the advice down to the letter. Er, if I ever find myself in an encounter with the police.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the video but hopefully he also said to never, ever agree to a polygraph. Those are nothing but pseudo-science roughly akin to reading chicken entrails. Innocent people have failed them and guilty people have passed them, one "expert" can read them one way while another "expert" can read them another way, enuf said.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense 101. Problem is, people tend to trust the police, hence the value of this video.
ReplyDeleteSad, but true: you should not trust any law enforcement officer, even if you know them personally. Cops are never really off duty.
PS: If Paco Enterprises has anything to do with this, you best check your quality control systems, because Washington, DC, is still with us.
ReplyDeleteJeff: I think I do remember tossing the butt of a Perfecto Gigante from the window of my car that evening.
ReplyDeleteMy dad (a small town cop in my teen years) used to tell me that if I ever got pulled over or stopped for any reason, to shut up until he could get there. I never did, but I never forgot his advice, either.
ReplyDelete"Once a police officer, never a man" - as the saying goes
ReplyDeleteThis information brought to you by the Police And Corruption Oversight group (pty ltd)
ReplyDeleteAll those who read it and will benefit from it, did so on the understanding that they will deposit to the account provided (Cayman Is.) a sum equal to half the savings on your first five arrests.
I don't know how relevant this man's advice is to us here in The Great South Land, but I doubt that it's completely irrelevant. I'll have a look.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I would have been in the "I don't want to appear uncooperative and hiding something, so I'll talk" crowd, before watching this video.
ReplyDeleteSo, thanks for the link.
RebeccaH: The other piece of advice I've been given, and would give:
ReplyDeleteNever let the cops get you anywhere on your own (i.e. lonley rural dead-end track or suchlike).
There's only two reasons why you would be in an police interview room - either you're a witness, or a suspect. If you don't remember seeing a crime committed, you're a suspect, so keep yo mouf shut. I've known a couple of cops (deputies, actually) who I would trust with my life, but I would not trust them in there.
ReplyDeleteI've also had the misfortune of knowing a couple of cops who were truly evil motherf*ckers with badges - one is serving consecutive life sentences for murdering his pregnant wife, and the other got away with strangling a "suspect" to death in the local jail - a poor schmuck who got picked up in a case of mistaken identity, but apparently objected much too long and much too loudly...
About a year ago I was called by the police who wanted to interview me about about a possible crime they were investigating.
ReplyDeleteI was NOT a target of the investigation. Nor did I plan on coming one.
Even though I wasn't the target and was at best a witness, I immediately contacted an attorney to accompany me to the interview.
This isn't a reflection on the police. In fact, I new the detective and used to work with his father.
Still, his job was to investigate a crime and he had no way of knowing if I was involved or not.
It's just a matter of protecting your self. The police should understand that. After all, if the police get in trouble, what's the first thing THEY do?