>So it seems like a good idea to play nice and make them be on your side. In Europe maybe, but not in the US. You are not a cop so they will never be "on your

>So it seems like a good idea to play nice and make them be on your side. In Europe maybe, but not in the US. You are not a cop so they will never be "on your side". They have cases they are pressured to close, so anyone coming in volunteering information is also showing that they know. If you make a profile of a perpetrator of a given crime what traits will he have? First of all he/she will know all the details of what happened (since they did it). Someone who wasn't there and wasn't involved wont. So if you witness a crime and describe it to the police you've just proven that you fit that part of the profile. That would automatically make you the number one lead if they have nothing better. And who knows? When I was a kid I did something I shouldn't have. When I saw a teacher was about to discover it I quickly "informed him" of what some bad child had done. I thought this would divert suspicion away from myself. That person going to the police and being "helpful" may actually be trying to divert attention from themselves, try to figure out how much the cops have figured out, etc. The cops can't know so the only logical thing to do is peruse the different leads according to which one is closest to the likely suspect. And I'm not even describing the cops doing anything bad like framing people (which isn't unheard of).