Why You Should Never Talk to the Police

A lot of folks are under the impression that they are required by law to talk to the police. They’ve heard, “You have the right to remain silent” before, but they must have forgotten when it came time to deal with police officers. As a criminal defense attorney, I can tell you by law that you are not required to talk to the police and should exercise your right to remain silent. The police cannot force you to talk to them.

Police officers are trained to get information from potential suspects. They will very likely try to scare you into making a statement and answering their questions. They can tell you that if you don’t answer their questions, you will be arrested. They are going to arrest you anyway. Don’t talk to them! Chances are bad that you will talk yourself out of trouble. It is much more likely that you will talk yourself into trouble.

Good cop / bad cop 

Another tactic that police officers use is to tell you that they believe you are innocent and that they just need a little information from you. Such tactics are used to catch you in a lie and gather evidence against you to use in court. In most cases, after you talk to the police, you will be arrested anyway. At that point, you will have given the cops ample evidence to use against them.

Even if you are innocent, you’re going to be nervous while you’re answering their questions. You might misunderstand one of the questions they ask. In addition, you could be misled by their tactics, and answer something in a manner that makes you appear guilty.

Request a lawyer before you talk to the police 

As a criminal defense attorney, I get a lot of calls from folks who haven’t been arrested yet, but the police want to question them. Some people naively believe that you only need a lawyer if you’re guilty. The truth is, you need a lawyer if you’re innocent too. So, our advice is to always (respectfully) say, “No” to the police when they ask you to answer a few questions for them. This is especially true if you are innocent.

If you are stopped by the police, there are some general guidelines you should follow. Those include:

• Invoking the right to remain silent when you are being questioned
• Remaining polite and calm during all your interactions with police officers
• Asking them if you are free to leave or, “Am I being detained?”
• Refusing to consent to any searches of your property on your body
• If the police insist on questioning you, you should have a lawyer present during questioning
• Trying to talk your way out of the arrest is a bad idea

Talk to a Tallahassee Criminal Defense Lawyer Today 

Luke Newman, P.A. represents the interests of those who have been charged with serious crimes in Tallahassee. Call our Tallahassee criminal lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your defense right away.