4 ms·

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE obligatory “don’t talk to the police” link.

TrickyRick 4y ago
I'm impressed it took a whole 33 minutes for this to be linked!
- belter 4y ago
  Yes but they always miss Part 2 :-) "Don't Talk to the Police Part 2" - https://youtu.be/tIt-l2YmH8M https://youtu.be/tIt-l2YmH8M
- danso 4y ago
  I'm surprised this classic video is 10+ years old but has only 18M views. edit: Saw that the professor, James Duane [0], has his own Wikipedia page, almost entirely on the popularity of the Youtube lecture. Even more surprising, his Talk page seems to be free of debate over Duane's notability. Pretty impressive for a single videoed lecture! [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duane_(professor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duane_(professor)
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    Should be shown in elementary schools as part of the curriculum.
    - p0pcult 4y ago
      But then youd be disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline![1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline
    - smegger001 4y ago
      I was shown it in high-school by a particularly good social studies teacher.
paulpauper 4y ago
It all depends. For a speeding ticket, giving your info to the police tends to make it easier, although you do not have to answer his questions.
- TremendousJudge 4y ago
  The lawyer mentions this in his talk.
thathndude 4y ago
Lawyer here. I give this guy’s book out to anyone I care about. Friends, family. I even highlight the bit at the end with the practical advice. Everyone needs to know this. The friendliest police officer in the world is not your friend
gamblor956 4y ago
OTOH, as a former public defender I have no problems talking with the police. The police aren't your friend. They're also not your enemy. Talking to the police as part of an investigation doesn't make you a suspect. Seriously, how do people think criminal investigations are done? Talking to witnesses is a huge part of investigating. People very rarely finger themselves as potential suspects; it's almost always the other witnesses who identify them as suspects. If you're worried that you've done something wrong, talk to a lawyer first. 99.9% of the time, they'll tell you it's fine. Of course, if you tell the police you need to talk to your lawyer first, they'll want to know why you think you need a lawyer; if I were your lawyer, that's the first thing I'd wonder too. And if you weren't considered a potential suspect before you definitely will be on their short list after.
- rurp 4y ago
  I can see why someone familiar with the law would be comfortable speaking with the police, but it's tough for a lay person to know if they are being lied to or will inadvertantly say something seemingly benign that causes them grief. Given that police are allowed to lie with impunity and might become your enemy, it's almost all downside for oneself to speak to them. If cops were obligated to be honest in more respects I would be more willing to open up, but of course they don't want any restrictions in that area. Cops in the US want to be able to lie whenever it's convenient and also have everyone trust them, but that's not a very fair bargain for the general public.
  - gamblor956 4y ago
    If the police are asking you questions, they're not lying to you...they're just asking questions. And if the police say something seemingly benign that causes you grief, you can look forward to a large-ish settlement to make up for your troubles. People on HN rarely interact with the police and it seems they have an unrealistic, media-driven perception of how cops actually act. For point of reference, it's the same as how non-techies assume that every tech employee can hack their way into a bank account or rig together a go-kart from spare parts.
    - 4y ago

TrickyRick 4y ago

I'm impressed it took a whole 33 minutes for this to be linked!

belter 4y ago
Yes but they always miss Part 2 :-) "Don't Talk to the Police Part 2" - https://youtu.be/tIt-l2YmH8M https://youtu.be/tIt-l2YmH8M
danso 4y ago
I'm surprised this classic video is 10+ years old but has only 18M views. edit: Saw that the professor, James Duane [0], has his own Wikipedia page, almost entirely on the popularity of the Youtube lecture. Even more surprising, his Talk page seems to be free of debate over Duane's notability. Pretty impressive for a single videoed lecture! [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duane_(professor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duane_(professor)
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  Should be shown in elementary schools as part of the curriculum.
  - p0pcult 4y ago
    But then youd be disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline![1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline
  - smegger001 4y ago
    I was shown it in high-school by a particularly good social studies teacher.

paulpauper 4y ago

It all depends. For a speeding ticket, giving your info to the police tends to make it easier, although you do not have to answer his questions.

TremendousJudge 4y ago
The lawyer mentions this in his talk.

thathndude 4y ago

Lawyer here. I give this guy’s book out to anyone I care about. Friends, family. I even highlight the bit at the end with the practical advice. Everyone needs to know this. The friendliest police officer in the world is not your friend

gamblor956 4y ago

OTOH, as a former public defender I have no problems talking with the police. The police aren't your friend. They're also not your enemy. Talking to the police as part of an investigation doesn't make you a suspect. Seriously, how do people think criminal investigations are done? Talking to witnesses is a huge part of investigating. People very rarely finger themselves as potential suspects; it's almost always the other witnesses who identify them as suspects. If you're worried that you've done something wrong, talk to a lawyer first. 99.9% of the time, they'll tell you it's fine. Of course, if you tell the police you need to talk to your lawyer first, they'll want to know why you think you need a lawyer; if I were your lawyer, that's the first thing I'd wonder too. And if you weren't considered a potential suspect before you definitely will be on their short list after.

rurp 4y ago
I can see why someone familiar with the law would be comfortable speaking with the police, but it's tough for a lay person to know if they are being lied to or will inadvertantly say something seemingly benign that causes them grief. Given that police are allowed to lie with impunity and might become your enemy, it's almost all downside for oneself to speak to them. If cops were obligated to be honest in more respects I would be more willing to open up, but of course they don't want any restrictions in that area. Cops in the US want to be able to lie whenever it's convenient and also have everyone trust them, but that's not a very fair bargain for the general public.
- gamblor956 4y ago
  If the police are asking you questions, they're not lying to you...they're just asking questions. And if the police say something seemingly benign that causes you grief, you can look forward to a large-ish settlement to make up for your troubles. People on HN rarely interact with the police and it seems they have an unrealistic, media-driven perception of how cops actually act. For point of reference, it's the same as how non-techies assume that every tech employee can hack their way into a bank account or rig together a go-kart from spare parts.
  - 4y ago