Cops ARE NOT on your side.
Allow me to remark about this statement. Law Enforcement/Public Safety is on the people's side. When an officer arrests or detains an individual, they are not taking anyone's side. They are simply investigating an incident which may be a potential crime, gathering evidence and detaining/arresting the people who might be involved. The police department is not a decision making body and they do not take sides. All they do is collect information, evidence and, if need be, collect people. If you see or hear an officer coming to a conclusion about any type of suspected activity then they are out of line. It is not their job to come to an ultimate decision.
The person who is not on your side and you must truly beware of is the Prosecutor. This is why you are entitled to a lawyer and that is because a specialized person is needed to deal with that individual. Thus, at no point should you ever handle these situations alone. You should employ the services of an attorney from the start and refrain from making statements. The moment the police show up and start asking questions is the moment you should either be calling your attorney or asking for one. Your defense starts the moment the police show up. Do not ever think or believe you will be able to handle this on your own. You will need specialized help, even if you are an attorney yourself, to negotiate and deal with the Prosecutor...the guy who is not at all on your side.
The person or persons who may or may not be on your side is the judge or jury. In a courtroom, you never know how they might decide or what they think. They are the X factor or the unknown factor.
So the police are on your side, but understand their duty is to investigate these incidents and bring it to the Prosecutor. Whatever you say or do...whatever you provide...will be handed over to the Prosecutor so that is why these situations have to be handled carefully and professionally with the help of an attorney or at least the public defender. They should be the only ones making statements on your behalf.
As I said earlier, the best method to avoid these situations is not to expose yourself. For example, you wouldnt be getting arrested in NYC if you had simply researched the law and left the firearms at home. Just ask yourself every step of the way if your conduct or activity might be exposing yourself to police scrutiny.