If you have never encountered a situation where you needed to speak with the police, you may not know your rights and what procedures to follow to protect yourself. This is a common challenge for most individuals and can be quite stressful.
However, if you are ever pulled over, arrested, asked for a witness statement or have other encounters with police, you may think it is natural to speak with police. However, these are reasons you should not do so.
Police receive interrogation training
Police go through extensive training on interrogation. They also tend to have significant experience and have honed their interview skills. Therefore, these professionals have different strategies they can use to encourage confessions. You may find yourself admitting to things even if you are innocent, and often, these charges are for higher offenses.
You can incriminate yourself even if you did nothing wrong
Your answers may not outright denote your guilt, but if you provide too much information or make one misstatement, you can provide evidence that you may have committed a crime, even if you did not.
In addition, you may have difficulty telling the same story exactly the same way multiple times. A little white lie or assumption can get you into trouble.
They cannot negotiate deals
No matter what you see on TV, police do not have the authority to negotiate deals. They can speak with prosecutors on your behalf, but they cannot ensure that you will receive a lesser charge, reduced jail time or any other benefit.
To give yourself the best defense, do not speak with the police on your own. The police’s goal is to close cases no matter what, and you do not want to find yourself in their crosshairs, especially if you are innocent.
