Yeah I guess a lot of lawyers and criminal justice advocates are really trying to get the point across that you should never talk to the police in a situation i

Yeah I guess a lot of lawyers and criminal justice advocates are really trying to get the point across that you should never talk to the police in a situation in which you could incriminate yourself, but which situations that entails is much muddier and hard to convey. I think it’s probably better on balance for people to bias more towards “never talk to the police,” given how often people self-incriminate and how the vast majority of most people’s interactions with police are at traffic stops. But of course it’s a thing with nuance. If you’re being questioned for no obvious reason, being questioned at a traffic stop, or being questioned really about anything other than a crime you were the victim of, it’s probably best to stay silent. Of course here “questioned” is doing a lot of work. It in my mind doesn’t apply to the kind of “which way did he go,” or “are there people still inside” kinds of requests for quick information to help the officer do something entirely unrelated to you. But if a police officer is focusing on you and asking you questions, I’d say that’s when the advice kicks in for sure.