LAWYER EXPLAINS: 12 Lies the Police Love to Use
Remember- the police can & will lie to you. There are a few limits in some regions.
I got pulled over for running a stop sign last weekend. It’s a stop sign on a backroad where you can see the intersection as you approach it, coming down a hill. I guess I always go through it without stopping.
I’m usually more aware of what is behind me, but no. I gave the cop my license, registration, and insurance. As he walked away I asked him if he stopped at the sign when he was driving his personal vehicle.
When he came back from checking me for warrants, he told me I was just getting a warning, because he honestly doesn’t stop in his personal vehicle, just slows down and looks, like I did. He said he was going to start stopping there, so I had better be more careful about how I handle it.
Like that Tom Segura bit about “The First 48”:
“One thing I’ve learned from watching this show, lawyer up. Nobody asks for a lawyer… Everyone says ‘I’m gonna go down to the station and straighten this whole thing out with the cops.’ You’re gonna do 25 to life, have fun with that.”
How about the idiots that tell the cops they’re sovereign citizens? In their opinion they don’t have to have a driver’s license because they’re not driving for commerce, they’re traveling the roadways. I’ve seen loads of these videos on tiktok. I don’t know how the police can keep their cool with these a-holes.
Don’t try to talk your way out of it. But, try to de-escalate first. Especially for something like a minor traffic stop. Police deal with jerks, assholes, and self righteous “talk to my lawyer” types ad nauseum. One can at least attempt to de-escalate without self-incrimination or raising suspicion.
Ya know, don’t be a jerk. Sure it helps if you’re a 60 something white male that comes across as respectful rather than snarky. Of course, don’t be a putz either. 
I’ve had two police stops in my life. (Unrelated to accidents)
Same cop.
The cop was a guy with a snarky attitude. He was elderly. And maybe just cranky.
It turned out ok.
I talked my head off because it was an unusual situation. He pretended or really didn’t get what was happening.
Looking back I’m sure he thought I was insane and a danger to myself or others.
He could a been nicer tho’.
I payed my fine on the first one. Second one he just warned me.
I wonder if they take classes on how to lie at the academy? I’m pretty good at figuring out if someone’s lying to me.
Obviously the context of the linked video is the police in the USA; I am curious to know if this advice holds true in the world in general; I’ve had minimal contact with the UK police here, and none at all with the USA police, having never been there, but from watching various bodycam videos and real-life documentaries (which of course may not be representative of the whole of reality), my impression is that things work differently.
Absolutely. Looking at the video, the lawyer seems to be talking about more significant situations, like even possession charges.
But a minor traffic stop? Look, if the cop is out to get you (or looking to arrest someone and you are the lucky one he found), then yes, lawyer up.
But if it’s just a routine pull over for a minor speeding violation or blown stop sign, cooperate to the extent necessary (provide ID, etc) and be polite.
I once was pulled over for a minor speeding incident just after watching one of these “don’t cooperate, cops lie” videos, so I went with recommended strategy. Well, naturally I ended up with a ticket.
However, I have had other run-ins where polite and respectful demeanor have gotten me off with warnings. Like the time I raced through an intersection at an underpass to squeeze a light only to have a cop pull in behind me as I was parking at the sandwich shop on the other side.
Was fairly embarrassing to then walk into the shop and get food.
I’m also cognizant that my being a white male probably helped me.
Can’t believe how many people I’ve pulled over for rolling through a sign insist that slowing down is just as good as stopping.
“Sir, if I were to strike you repeatedly with my baton which would you want me to do, Stop or slow down?”
Touche’ Officer.
Yeah, the video is about more serious crimes, not traffic stops. Anyone would be stupid to not have a lawyer is they are suspected of committing a crime, even if they are innocent.
On the other hand, if you were throwing a barrage of completely off-topic analogies at us, and you agreed to slow down, I’d be okay with that.
I can’t believe how much I now want to see a movie where a guy tells the cops, “if you’re saying you suspect me of committing a crime, then I want a lawyer! I’d want a lawyer even if I were innocent!”
Great link! That advice has served me well. In fact, I’ve received warnings when being sweet and cooperative that would surely have been tickets had I been a rude bitch.
There’s no way to guarantee yourself a warning, but there’s definitely a way to guarantee a ticket, or worse.
Put another way (and I’m not saying you’ve put in a poor way) the Officer was reasonable and polite.
I know there are race issues with some Police Officers, and other concerns. But their pay sucks, they put themselves in harm’s way, they get lied to receive crap continuously. I think they deserve more respect than they get, overall.
That he was. I’ve driven the road several times since I was stopped. I still slow down, but don’t stop. I’m more aware of my surroundings.
I spoke with a lawyer yesterday who mentioned how his policeman son handled DUI stops. Said the cop would let drivers go if they could get someone to pick them up - even if they blew over, but only charged them if they refused to answer/blow. What the father told me sounded eminently reasonable, but I would not trust what any cop says.
Any time I interact w/ a cop I attempt to be polite, but I wish to consent to nothing, I engage in no small talk/casual conversation, and I do not expect the LEO to be truthful in anything they say. The less said the better.
Everyone should know exactly what they HAVE to say to/do for a cop if stopped while driving/walking or if a cop comes to your door. Do that politely, but politely decline to do more.
Cop videos - both of unreasonable cops and unreasonable (drunken and sovereign citizen) detainees are entertaining, but I suspect they may give one an unrealistic impression of what most frequently occurs.
It’s smart advice to remember that a police officer doing his job may not have your best interests as his main priority.
But it’s also smart advice to remember that a lawyer telling you when you should hire a lawyer may also not have your best interests as his main priority.
I’ve gotten away with situations in the UK when I was definitely driving over the limit, but like you, I’m a white male and I speak with an upper-middle-class ‘BBC’ accent (just the way I grew up).
Unfair, of course. I don’t push my luck these days…
As a long time student of Law and Order (and other procedurals) if your spouse was murdered, never talk to the cops without a lawyer. they already suspect you. When they say “we’d like you to come down to the station”, say no. Ignore what they say after that.
The above advice applies especially if you actually murdered you spouse!
I start to really roll my eyes at procedural shows, even ones I like, where the killer would get away with it, if they’d just SHUT UP. If the show can’t come up with a plot that doesn’t rely on stupid criminals, then maybe they need better writers.