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-
- Don't Talk to Cops
-
- By Robert W. Zeuner, Member of the New York State Bar
-
- Typed by: The Mad Alchemist | Lunatic Labs BBS 415-278-7421 1200/2400
- Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia!
-
- "GOOD MORNING! My name is investigator Holmes. Do you mind answering a few
- simple questions?" If you open your door one day and are greeted with those
- words, STOP AND THINK! Whether it is the local police or the FBI at your door,
- you have certain legal rights of which you ought to be aware before you
- proceed any further.
- In the first place, when law enforcement authorities come to see you,
- there are no "simple questions". Unless they are investigating a traffic
- accident, you can be sure that they want information about somebody. And that
- somebody may be you!
- Rule number one to remember when confronted by the authorities is that
- there is no law requiring you to talk with the police, the FBI, or the
- representative of any other investigative agency. Even the simplest questions
- may be loaded and the seemingly harmless bits of information which you
- volunteer may later become vital links in a chain of circumstantial evidence
- against you or a friend.
- DO NOT INVITE THE INVESTIGATOR INTO YOUR HOME!
- Such an invitation not only gives him the opportunity to look around
- for clues to your lifestyle, friends, reading material, etc., but also tends
- to prolong the conversation. The longer the conversation, the more chance
- there is for a skill investigator to find out what he wants to know.
- Many times a police officer will ask you to accompany him to the
- police station to answer a few questions. In that case, simply thank him for
- the invitation and indicate that you are not disposed to accept it at this
- time. Often the authorities simply want to photograph a person for
- identification purposes, a procedure which is easily accomplished by placing
- him in a private room with a two-way mirror at the station, asking him a few
- innocent questions, and then releasing him.
- If the investigator becomes angry at your failure to cooperate and
- threatens you with arrest, stand firm. He cannot legally place you under
- arrest or enter your home without a warrent signed by a judge. If he indicates
- that he has such a warrent, ask to see it. A person under arrest, or located
- on premises to be searched, generally must be shown a warrent if he requests
- it and must be given to chance to read it.
- Without a warrent, an officer depends solely upon your helpfulness to
- obtain the information he wants. So, unless you are quite sure of yourself,
- don't be helpful.
- Probably the wisest approach to take to a persistant investigator is
- simply to say: "I'm quite busy now. If you have any questions that you feel I
- can answer, I'd be happy to listen to them in my lawyer's office. Goodbye!"
- Talk is cheap. When that talk involves the law enforcement
- authorities, it may cost you, or someone close to you, dearly.
-
- This info came from a leaflet that was printed as a public
- service by individuals concerned with the growing role of
- authoritarianism and police power in our society. Please
- feel free to copy or republish.
-
- This info also applies to dealing with private investigators, and
- corporate security agents.
-