The last thing you want is a run-in with a police officer, but this could happen at any point. Worse yet, it could come to the forefront of your life when you’ve done nothing wrong.
As frustrating and scary as it may be, you must remain courteous and respectful when communicating with police. This isn’t always easy to do, but you don’t want to give them any reason to put you under arrest.
Unfortunately, police officers aren’t always as honest as they should be. They may attempt to trick you, such as by saying the following:
- What are you trying to cover up? You said you did nothing wrong? In other words, they want to push you into attempting to defend yourself, as opposed to exercising your right to remain silent. No matter what the officer says to you, you’re under no obligation to answer their questions or provide more information.
- This is your last chance to share your side of the story: Once again, the officer wants you to think that you have no choice but to share information with them. They’re more or less telling you that if you don’t talk now, you’ll have no chance to do so in the future.
- There’s no way to escape trouble at this point, but telling the truth will help: There is no truth to this. Police, prosecutors and the judge overseeing your case don’t care if you told the truth. All you did was made it easier on them. You don’t have to tell the truth. You also don’t have to lie. You can simply remain quiet.
- We already have a search warrant: For example, if you deny an officer entry to your home, they may attempt to trick you by saying they have a search warrant. If they can’t produce it, they don’t have it.
It’s not the honest approach, but police officers don’t always care about that. All they’re trying to do is find a reason to put you under arrest.
Regardless of the circumstances of your arrest, you have the legal right to defend yourself in court. There’s no reason to let the criminal justice system intimidate you.
