Do You Have To Talk To Police?

Well lessee, I am not a LEO, but I am a member of the California State Sheriff's Association and contribute yearly to the Police Officers' Fund here in Redondo Beach. I did all of this after 9/11. What really got to me is these guys literally put their butts on the line every day for the citizenry. And they are just regular folks, like you an' me. Many are veterans and there will be many more in the future who come from the ranks of those who have paid their dues in Afghanistan and Iraq. If I am stopped. I am polite and take the ticket (been a few years now). If I want to contest it I go to court. Getting stopped for a traffic violation is nothing personal. AFIK, no police officer I have come in contact with planned out his day by listing the vendettas he needed to pursue.
 
There are far worse abuses than bogus tickets.

My girlfriend was driving home around 2 am. She lives about 30 miles outside of town. She was coming to a sto sign at an intersection where an LEO was.

This is a corner you have to take real slow.

The LEO's turned on there lights and stoed her. Told her that she ran the sign at 65 miles. ---This is not ossible she would have been in someones home 300 yards off the road.

They started screaming at her about wheres the drugs, wheres the drugs. She told them she hadn't done anything and why are they screaming at her. She was dragged from the car and handcuffed taken to the back of the cruiser with no exlanation. They tore thru her car and when they didn't find anything they released her and just left,before she was even able to get back into her car.

She called me scared to death. I had to go out there and get her. The car was tossed. stuff everywhere, glove box trashed. I took her to the Sherriffs substation and talked to the CO, gave him the name of the officer she remembered. He said he would take care of it and get back to us. Even had another cruiser follow us back to her house. But never once heard anything back about what went on.

She wouldn't go home at night for months unless i followed her.

Its LEO's like them that make us say and think the things we do.

But at the same time... i have met many well mannered honest, and corteous LEO's.

i would always cooerate with them regardless if they are a**holes or not.
 
I think that you only have to give your name if asked and your papers. Other then that I don't think you have to say anything.

Me, I just stare wide eyed and shake my head (look like a moron) and they just generally leave me alone (they will shine a light in your eyes if you do this but that's okay, I know the reason).

Wayne
 
Interesting thread. But, why is it that not talking to LEO's ( bear in mind that I was an Army MP for 6 years {not the same as a civilian police officer, but similar in many ways} constitutes a bad attitude? Or displays some lack of respect? Why the obligation for small talk?
 
Talk or not...

Talk or not is pretty much up to you. What they do to you for it is pretty much up to them. The courts have upheld that irregardless of right, and wrong, innocence, and guilt of something you must identify yourself so that it can be determined if you are a person of interest.

Humm Germany, 1940's?
 
Long ago I was in the Army, and I was assigned as a clerk in a CID (Criminal Investigation Division) office for 18 months. CID are the Army's plain clothes investigators who deal primarily with felonies.

I watched and I learned. I learned never to trust an LEO. Ever.

Rules of engagement with an LEO.

Rule No. 1 - Never ever Never lie to them.
Rule No. 2 - Instead of lieing just don't say anything.
Rule No. 3 - They are not asking you questions to help you, they are asking you questions to see if you are dumb enough to incriminate yourself.
Rule No. 4 - Be polite, say nothing untrue, give your name and address accurately and say nothing else of consequence.
Rule No. 5 - If you want to engage in small talk, go ahead, but make sure you don't say anything that can be used against you in any way.
Rule No. 6 - If in doubt just ask for an attorney and then shut up.
Rule No. 7 - They are not asking you questions to help you, they are asking you questions to see if you are dumb enough to incriminate yourself.
Rule No. 8 - Never ever never lie to them.
Rule No. 9 - I have repeated myself enough. If you don't understand by now, you will never will.
Rule No. 10 - The police hate lawyers for a reason. Use one.

This is the voice of experience from the inside gentlemen. Believe it or ignore it - at your own peril.
 
I watched and I learned. I learned never to trust an LEO. Ever.
Click to expand...

Truer words were never spoken. I had an attorney named Arthur Arduin tell me once, " When the cops are talkin' to ya, gettin' ya coffee, offerin' ya cigarettes, THEY'RE F---ING YOU! They're tryin' to get you to say something that will trip you up. NEVER talk to a cop without a lawyer present! They're not your friends, they have a job to do and they don't care anything about you!"
 
Amen Butch! Thats got nothing to do with being anti cop either. Common sense in todays modern world. No disrespect at all to the officer.

I was arrested once for some minor thing, they had me in some holding cell. A lady came back with a clipboard and said 'mind if I ask you some questions?'

I sadi 'And anything I say can & will be used against me?" She rolled her eyes and said yes. I said no disrespect intended mamm, but why would I want to fill in the blanks for you if you;ll use it against me? :D

she left and I wound up walking too.
 
False arrest?

gfxezrd: What was that all about? Did you find out why she was arrested? Can you not sue for false arrest (or some such thing)? I am not quick to sue, but that sounds way over the top and at least from what you are telling, without any reason... I think I'd be having a conversation with the best attorney I could find to find out what can be done in such situations.
 
The Original Question

As to the original topic of this thread, anyway - I normally try to cooperate as best I can - bottom line is the police are holding more cards than you are, so it can't be helpful for you if you try to make a problem. If things were really bad (which to date they never have been) I'd make a complaint down at the station to the superior officer, and if that bad, see a lawyer.

Most of the police that I have encountered, probably 2/3 at least, are fine - professional, etc. I have also had a some run-ins with some uh, shall we say less professional ones as well, but fortunately, they have been in the minority.

There definitely is a certain amount of "profiling" that is common... and I can see the utility in it if it is not taken very far, but also the danger if it is. If you are a 45yo woman driving a nice Volvo with 2 kids, you're a heck of a lot less likely to be stopped or get a hard time than a 20yo man with long hair and beard, driving a beat up hotrod.
 
Something that I've learned how to do when dealing with LEO's or Feds:

Buy a cell phone that you have on your seat, and ready for voice commands.

If you are stopped and the LEO (or if you are in your house and the feds come a knocking) say your "magic" word and then the word that you used to call your lawyer.

Entire conversation is either heard by your lawyer or it's recorded on his/her machine.

Technology helps them, it can help you also :).

*main PS: I'm not paranoid but I don't trust anyone in life. It's just part of my total CYA setup. As I mentioned before, I am going against the system (as Handy had pointed out :) ), so any CYA action that you take is well worth it.

Wayne

*Oh, in case anyone wants the information, I use a Sony Ericsson. You say the "magic word" and it gives a tone. You then say the name or word that you have put in as your voice command and it dials the number. Hands are on the steering wheel (or out in the open) and the party or machine on the other end hears the entire conversation. It's useful.
 
as far as the "tossed the car searching it, then left everything where it lay": EVERY time I've heard of police searching a vehicle, that's been the MO. Now, I've never personally had my vehicle "tossed" but, if I did, I would make sure the officer stayed to help put things back, or I would be at the station waiting for him with his watch commander...
 
Like all people in all walks of life there are good ones and bad ones. I personallhy received a ticket once for going 51mph in a 50mph zone. I was driving down Texas Hwy 180 and at the top of the hill it was 55mph, at the bottom of a very steep gradient it was 50mph speed limit. Even though I had dropped 4 mph going down that hill I still got a ticket - no safety issues involved there at all. Nolanville had extended it's city limits to the bottom of that hill (and it was probaly 5 miles away from the town itself) and changed the speed limit at the bottom just to take advantage of people - a town of about 1,500 had 10 or 15 full time cops that did nothing but patrol their section of 180 and write tickets.
Click to expand...
Butch, it's safe to come back. Nolanville no longer allows its PD to patrol the highway after all the bad national press they received for it. And the speed limit is now 70 from the outskirts of Belton to the eastern Killeen city limit.

BTW, that highway is 190 and the bottom of the hill is about one mile east of town. Things may have been different back then, though.
 
I'd just like to say a couple of things.Firstly I haven't done much traffic, for which I am truly grateful. Secondly, the cop is just doing his job. If you get pinged for an infringement then just cop it sweet. Don't argue or dick around because if you do you are wasting everyone's time. And, the resource (the cop) is being prevented from doing his job. That means that he isn't catching the offenders that need to be caught while he is wasting his time with a smartarse. You don't need to be told that there are people out there who need to be caught - why on earth would you do anything to interfere with that?
 
Last edited:
That's right. Just take whatever the government hands you, right or wrong. Who knows, maybe if we're luckly we can buy a big island and send all the miscreants to it.
 
Heh Heh - Pretty sly Mike. It's true too. That's partly how Australia was founded. Mind you, they exported the police with the criminals. Hmmm - makes you think. Two birds with one stone?
 
BTW, that highway is 190 and the bottom of the hill is about one mile east of town. Things may have been different back then, though.
Click to expand...

Your right, my memory has faded a bit since that event in 1974 :). What I haven't forgotten is the cop and the ticket, and I still don't like either one of them.

There is (in my mind) a difference between a policeman and a rolling meter maid. I suspect that difference exists for most of us.

My advice above about the rules of engagement take no personal shots at leo's, it is good clear and clean advice based on real time experience. Those CID agents I worked for? They were always trying to bust each other and MPs too - in fact they did bust one of their own CID Agents and a whole bunch of MPs.

If they treat each other like that, how do you think they treat Joe Citizen for whom they have the lowest of regards?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top