3 ms·

This is a prime example of why you never answer questions like this from police. Give them nothing and they have nothing to twist against you. In a rigged sys

This is a prime example of why you never answer questions like this from police. Give them nothing and they have nothing to twist against you. In a rigged system, the best option is to not play whenever possible.

jstarfish 9y ago
He didn't answer their questions though. He did not give them permission to search the car. He refused, so they brought in a dog, (supposedly) made it act like it found drugs, and used that as probable cause to conduct a search.
- turc1656 9y ago
  I think the link was updated. There is more information than was previously available. It includes more details now. Either way, my statement still stands. Whether or not it would have made a difference in this particular instance isn't important. What's important is that you should never offer up any information to uniformed officers without a very good reason to do so. Playing nice may or may not get you a break on some minor traffic violation if the officer is in a good mood, but I'd much rather be viewed an a polite but uncooperative, rights-loving hard-ass...because it just might save me one day. As a matter of fact, it already has. I had a major police event earlier this year that came to be because I pulled my own car off the main road late at night because I have an old car and it was making a strange noise (and the main road had no shoulder). There was a cop hiding down this road and immediately approached me and then called for backup (for no reason) and 4 cars and 6 officers in total were there harassing me for almost an hour. Telling me first that I was drunk. Then telling me that I am a drug dealer there to meet someone. Then telling me that I was a drug user there instead to buy drugs. None of which was true. I even played nice and explained why I actually pulled off the main road in an attempt to expedite the stop. They didn't believe and once it became clear they were out to screw me over any way they could, I stopped talking. Then they asked me to perform sobriety tests, which I refused. They eventually let me go free and with no tickets (because it wasn't a traffic stop to begin with). If you're wondering why I refused the sobriety test - it's because I know those tests are used to justify the breathalyzer and other things like searches (which can lead to confiscation of property). I know this because I had a friend years ago who drank nothing, blew a .00 and was arrested because "if it's not alcohol, you must be on something else so we're taking you in to take your blood and have it tested". My friend got arrested, spent the night in jail, and then had to pay a lawyer to show up to court to have his case dismissed even though everything came back squeaky clean. They would have done the same with me. Never give them an inch to work with. I'll take the $25 tickets in the meantime if that's the price of possibly avoiding major litigation at some point.
- milesokeefe 9y ago
  But he did sign a form 'releasing' the money to them.
  - MertsA 9y ago
    Anything signed would have been arguably under duress. If someone is actively threatening you and coercing you to sign something the signature is irrelevant.

jstarfish 9y ago

He didn't answer their questions though. He did not give them permission to search the car. He refused, so they brought in a dog, (supposedly) made it act like it found drugs, and used that as probable cause to conduct a search.

turc1656 9y ago
I think the link was updated. There is more information than was previously available. It includes more details now. Either way, my statement still stands. Whether or not it would have made a difference in this particular instance isn't important. What's important is that you should never offer up any information to uniformed officers without a very good reason to do so. Playing nice may or may not get you a break on some minor traffic violation if the officer is in a good mood, but I'd much rather be viewed an a polite but uncooperative, rights-loving hard-ass...because it just might save me one day. As a matter of fact, it already has. I had a major police event earlier this year that came to be because I pulled my own car off the main road late at night because I have an old car and it was making a strange noise (and the main road had no shoulder). There was a cop hiding down this road and immediately approached me and then called for backup (for no reason) and 4 cars and 6 officers in total were there harassing me for almost an hour. Telling me first that I was drunk. Then telling me that I am a drug dealer there to meet someone. Then telling me that I was a drug user there instead to buy drugs. None of which was true. I even played nice and explained why I actually pulled off the main road in an attempt to expedite the stop. They didn't believe and once it became clear they were out to screw me over any way they could, I stopped talking. Then they asked me to perform sobriety tests, which I refused. They eventually let me go free and with no tickets (because it wasn't a traffic stop to begin with). If you're wondering why I refused the sobriety test - it's because I know those tests are used to justify the breathalyzer and other things like searches (which can lead to confiscation of property). I know this because I had a friend years ago who drank nothing, blew a .00 and was arrested because "if it's not alcohol, you must be on something else so we're taking you in to take your blood and have it tested". My friend got arrested, spent the night in jail, and then had to pay a lawyer to show up to court to have his case dismissed even though everything came back squeaky clean. They would have done the same with me. Never give them an inch to work with. I'll take the $25 tickets in the meantime if that's the price of possibly avoiding major litigation at some point.
milesokeefe 9y ago
But he did sign a form 'releasing' the money to them.
- MertsA 9y ago
  Anything signed would have been arguably under duress. If someone is actively threatening you and coercing you to sign something the signature is irrelevant.