2 ms·
Lawyers always give this advice, because by the time a case gets to a defense attorney, the defendant's statements to police can only be a negative. But in the
by ProjectArcturis 5y ago
Lawyers always give this advice, because by the time a case gets to a defense attorney, the defendant's statements to police can only be a negative. But in the case of a minor traffic stop, you can often avoid a ticket by being polite and apologizing. Or, stated conversely, you can turn a planned warning into a ticket by being a jerk or totally non-cooperative. (Caveat: I am a white dude. This may not work for all races and genders.)
- 93po 5y agoI'd rather accept the higher likelihood of a ticket and preserve my rights than have to kiss ass just to be given decent treatment as a human being. Fuck the police and fuck talking to them. Also white male with plenty of money for lawyers.
- erispoe 5y agoThe point is you never know what police is looking for. What looks like a simple traffic stop to you can be police looking for a suspect, and by being cooperative, you risk incriminating yourself. It's not worth it, never. Even if the intention is a simple traffic stop, police is incentivized to bring their numbers up, so anything you say during a traffic stop can and routinely will be used to pin higher offenses on you. Again, it's not worth it.
- counterpoint1 5y agoWhite may be helping you, but male is harming you in any interaction with police or criminal justice system. From questioning to ticketing to arrests to prosecution to plea deals to jury bias to sentencing, literally every single step has a huge gender bias in favor of women. Your point about politeness stands, just pointing out the common narrative of privilege in America is completely inverted for gender in this area.