191–200 of 246 posts
E.g. it's generally a bad idea to shut up completely once you're in a police station in Japan, as they may hold you up for 23 days w/o pressing charges and allowing you to communicate with the outside world.
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I think the standard cop questions, "Do you know how fast you were going?" and "do you know why I stopped you?" are also invitations for you to incriminate yourself. A polite "No idea, officer" is your answer. Edit: to you guys claiming that's lying to an officer and you have to know your speed, I can only say show us the proof that that's ever happened. I don't think that would ever come up in court, if you happened…
>A polite "No idea, officer" is your answer. You just admitted to reckless driving. You're not allowed to not know the speed limit or your own speed while driving - the speedometer is right in front of you, and the officer knows exactly where the last speed limit sign you passed was. And if you recant on that in any way, if you even seem slightly uncertain, you just admitted to lying to an officer. This is why the ru…
When the time comes to go before a judge you and your lawyer simply say that you did not say anything apart from asking about the arrest and for a lawyer. That's it.
Recent case in point: Walt Nauta, who got charged along with Trump. Had he just kept his mouth shut, he probably wouldn't have been charged, but they got him dead-to-rights saying stuff they're pretty sure they can prove he was lying about. And this is it "working the way it should". The darker version is a Federal Agent says you told him something you didn't even say because it helps the case he's building. He asks…
> The darker version is a Federal Agent says you told him something you didn't even say because it helps the case he's building. He asks you to repeat it on record and when you balk, he threatens you with a felony for "lying to a federal agent". This is shown in a scene from "Wolf of Wall Street"[0]. In this case the main agent gets his partner to come to within earshot of Jordan Belfort and asks Jordan to repeat his…
The way it works, is they meet with you alone: You say "A, B, C". They take some notes and write down "D, E, F" because it's what they want to hear or what they wish you said. A few weeks later, they present you with a written statement to sign that says "D, E, F". You protest "but I didn't say that, I said A, B, C!" And then they threaten you: either sign the statement or we charge you with lying to a Federal Agent (a felony).
According to my Father in-law (an attorney with decades of experience), it happens way more than anyone would like to admit.
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This is clear cut. There are situations where you are legally obligated to interact with the police, like providing your identification at a traffic stop. In any other situation, you should avoid interaction with the police.
> This is clear cut. Sort of. So you're pulled over for a brake light that's out. Then, they start asking "Where are you coming from?", "Why are you here?", "Do you live near here? (when they already have your address)", "If you're coming from that far, why don't you have luggage?" etc. I guess you can try to give as terse an answer as possible without coming across as rude? Saying nothing is your right, but they hav…
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I think the standard cop questions, "Do you know how fast you were going?" and "do you know why I stopped you?" are also invitations for you to incriminate yourself. A polite "No idea, officer" is your answer. Edit: to you guys claiming that's lying to an officer and you have to know your speed, I can only say show us the proof that that's ever happened. I don't think that would ever come up in court, if you happened…
> A polite "No idea, officer" is your answer. That can also be used against you since you're admitting that you were not paying attention to your speed. It also means you lose the ability to claim that any speed the officer says you were traveling at is wrong, since you, by your own admission, wouldn't know any better. "You tell me" might be a better answer.
"Yes" could be used as evidence that your speeding was wilful, which probably isn't that bad but know that you're still giving them something.
I think "I believe so" or "pretty sure" was my go-to, but it's been a long time since I've been pulled over.
I actually don't even know that most cops actually ask this question. I think "do you know why I pulled you over?" is more common. To which you can often say "no" since you have no idea what actually went on in their head, but you might want something like "I can guess?" if you want to own up to some egregious action and show you were at least aware that it was wrong rather than acting as if you just drive like that all the time. But I can't tell if this is my real life experience or too many imagined interactions from message board discussions.
BTW "not that I'm aware of" when asked about weapons in the car etc. It shows that I'm aware of the technicalities and lawyerly answers (I don't know what they consider a weapon), but also engaging with them and their concerns.
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While you have the right to remain silent, I remember reading somewhere that you have to actively invoke that right (by stating something like "I invoke my 5th amendment right to remain silent") for your silence to be considered an invocation of that right, and not merely suspicious behavior, an implicit admission of guilt, or obstruction of justice. This is actually reprehensible, since invoking a right should mean…
> Another topic that everybody should know about is juror nullification. Jurors who are aware of jury nullification are routinely dismissed.
Judges really don’t want to reduce the jury pool unless they really really need to. If they cut everyone who had seen CGP Grey’s video on Jury Nullification they’d unnecessarily thin the pool.
The way they do it is by specifically asking if you have any beliefs that would lead you to convict/acquit someone even if the evidence pointed to the opposite outcome. The question even tells you that Jury Nullification (making a false verdict) is a thing that’s possible to do. They want to know if you’re planning on doing it.
If you’re called for a murder trial and say “I don’t think murder is immoral” or “If the guy’s been accused, let him hang!” then yes, you’ll get out of jury duty. You’ll also look like a huge asshole in front of a bunch of people from your community.
And that’s how they get ya. Unless you have some really out-there views, or are willing to commit to acting like you do, you can’t get out of jury duty by going “I know about Jury Nullification!”
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what if you are asked to identify yourself such as for a speeding ticket or a Terry stop. I don't think it's clear cut.
This is clear cut. There are situations where you are legally obligated to interact with the police, like providing your identification at a traffic stop. In any other situation, you should avoid interaction with the police.
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>A polite "No idea, officer" is your answer. You just admitted to reckless driving. You're not allowed to not know the speed limit or your own speed while driving - the speedometer is right in front of you, and the officer knows exactly where the last speed limit sign you passed was. And if you recant on that in any way, if you even seem slightly uncertain, you just admitted to lying to an officer. This is why the ru…
You don't have to answer any question. Provide ID if it's required. Tell them you refuse to answer ANY questions and they do what they do. Ask if you're under arrest and if yes ask for a lawyer. That's it. Just keep quiet. 0 fucks if it's awkward or you feel like this is not a normal human interaction - guess what? It's not. When the time comes to go before a judge you and your lawyer simply say that you did not say…
...
Judge: "I have a written report here from Officer Trip saying he visually observed you going 32 mph in a 30 zone. Do you have any evidence to the contrary?"
You: "No"
Judge (thinking): I've never known Officer Pao R. Trip to be a stickler for speeding. There must be some story behind this
You: "I did not say anything apart from asking if I was under arrest and for a lawyer"
Judge (thinking): ahhh, that's it. Thank goodness, that would have been bothering me until at least the third hole
Judge: "I find you guilty of speeding, here is your fine and insurance points. Please pay at the cashier's window or online within 21 days"
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You don't have to answer any question. Provide ID if it's required. Tell them you refuse to answer ANY questions and they do what they do. Ask if you're under arrest and if yes ask for a lawyer. That's it. Just keep quiet. 0 fucks if it's awkward or you feel like this is not a normal human interaction - guess what? It's not. When the time comes to go before a judge you and your lawyer simply say that you did not say…
Cop: "Here is your license and your ticket. You are free to go" ... Judge: "I have a written report here from Officer Trip saying he visually observed you going 32 mph in a 30 zone. Do you have any evidence to the contrary?" You: "No" Judge (thinking): I've never known Officer Pao R. Trip to be a stickler for speeding. There must be some story behind this You: "I did not say anything apart from asking if I was under…
you get a ticket. forward the said ticket to a traffic lawyer. the cop does not show up and the ticket gets dismissed.
ask me how i know. also, even if the cop does show up: 32 in 30 will get the cop laughed out of the room and the judge will be pissed cause he's wasting everyone's time.
bonus points for the cop's name :) hahahaha.