Tips for Interacting with Cops, not to be confused with "things not to say to a park ranger"
Found this article and, among other than me being a gluten for punishment here , what are your thoughts/ experiances with dealing with LEO's when caught (BASE or otherwise)
In reply to:
Tips for Interacting with Cops
1. BE POLITE. Even if they are being assholes. Even if you have authority issues. Be as polite as you can and address them as “sir.” Do not lie to the police – this can be a crime.
2. YOU DON’T HAVE TO CONSENT TO SEARCHES. It’s your constitutional right – you don’t have to consent to a search without a warrant. There are many exceptions to this rule but always remember you have the right to say no. This includes search of your person, your bags, your car, etc.
a. Some exceptions:
i. You get arrested
ii. You get pulled over and the officer has probable cause to search your car (i.e. something he sees or something you say)
iii. The officer has reasonable suspicion (very low threshold), meaning he can pat you down for weapons and maybe search your bags
iv. A lot more that are narrow and technical but could apply to you!
b. Keep in mind that not giving consent will probably piss the cops off, and if they think they can get one, they will get a warrant, or they might just arrest you. This is not necessarily correct under the Constitution, but as a practical matter it might happen.
3. IF YOU GET TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, STOP TALKING AND IMMEDIATELY ASK FOR A LAWYER. Once you are in custody, the moment you ask for a lawyer the cops must stop questioning you until you have a lawyer by your side. If you hear your Miranda rights you know you’re getting taken into custody. Anything they ask you and anything you say after you lawyer up will get thrown out in court. DON’T VOLUNTEER ANY INFORMATION UNTIL YOU TALK WITH A LAWYER! (Duh.)
a. Custody is not just getting formally arrested but can include any situation in which you reasonably feel you are not free to leave – in this situation the cops should be reading you your rights. This is sort of a gray area, but some examples might be:
i. There are two or more cops telling you to stay in one place
ii. You get placed in the back of a cop car, even if not cuffed
iii. Your car is blocked in by cop cars
4. IN ORDER FOR THE POLICE TO KEEP YOU IN CUSTODY, YOU MUST BE CITED OR CHARGED. You have a right to know why you are being arrested and you have a right to be released if they aren’t going to cite you or charge you with a crime.
5. HAVE A PLAN of who you will contact if you are arrested. The best person to contact if you are in jail is a person that can come down and bail you out. A lawyer – even an appointed public defender – may not always be able to come to help you. If you get arrested on the weekend you will be stuck until Monday unless you can get bailed out. Bail will probably be in the hundreds of dollars.
a. If you call a lawyer the police can’t listen to the call.
b. You’ll probably only get one phone call, so make it count – remember the person on the other end can call a lawyer for you.
NOTE:
Sir, under the advice of my attorney, I respectfully request that legal counsel be present during any and all questioning and interrogation from this point forward by yourself or any other member of law enforcement.
No sir, I respectfully request that you do not search my vehicle/house/belongings/person as my attorney has advised me that my 4th amendment rights forbade this without a proper warrant or cause.
Memorize these two lines and use them liberally.
It will piss the cops off sometimes but who the fuck cares they are not there to be your buddy...they are there to fuck with you so no use trying to be their friend.