6 ms·

No, THE most useful advice is not to take legal advice from cops.

• neilv 2y ago
  How do you think the police will give bad advice, if you call them up and ask what to do?
  • Kinrany 2y ago
    Depends on how well they do their job, it's not hard to imagine them saying "file a report" and then ignoring it.
  • extra88 2y ago
    There are countless examples of police not knowing the law. If you talk to them in person, it should be to get an idea of what they'll do, which may or may not have something to do with what's legal. If you want legal advice, ask a lawyer with experience in the relevant area.
    • neilv 2y ago
      You don't want legal advice. You know where your stolen bike is, so you call the police. I think that's the usual process. Probably they will verify that the bike is yours, and retrieve it, or they will say that they don't have the resources. Are people imagining that the police will say that you can go take the bike, but then turn around and arrest you for theft? Of course, if the police tell you "finders keepers; it's in the Constitution", then you can seek legal advice.
      • sneak 2y ago
        No. The police will offer you the option to come to the police station and fill out a report so you can get a police report number for your insurance claim. Nothing else will happen. Police don’t usually investigate petty crimes.
      • michaelt 2y ago
        > Are people imagining that the police will say that you can go take the bike, but then turn around and arrest you for theft? People are imagining the police will tell you that you can't steal it back, when legally you can. After all, it's the police's job to keep the peace. And things are more peaceful if I'm not busting up thieves' hideouts all guns blazing like Rambo.
        • wat10000 2y ago
          I’m also imagining the police telling you that you can do something that is actually illegal, and then you get prosecuted for it. “The cops said it was ok” may not be an adequate defense.
          • TomatoCo 2y ago
            A cop telling you it's okay to do something, and then getting arrested for it, might be one of the only times you can correctly claim entrapment.
            • fragmede 2y ago
              So all Jessie Pinkman's got to do is ask the under cover police if it's okay to sell them meth and then they can't be arrested for it? Entrapment is reserved for the police going above and beyond, eg "sell me meth or I'll kill your dog" where it can be argued that the entrapped normally would not do the crime.
              • wat10000 2y ago
                Apparently there is “entrapment by estoppel” in which a government official tells you an act is legal when it isn’t. They have to be acting as a representative of the government, though; undercover cops wouldn’t count. I still wouldn’t be very excited to try this defense in court.
              • Dylan16807 2y ago
                > So all Jessie Pinkman's got to do is ask the under cover police if it's okay to sell them meth and then they can't be arrested for it? No, this is about on duty police in uniform saying it's okay.
    • outworlder 2y ago
      They aren't even required to know the law.
  • ldoughty 2y ago
    Ages ago when I tried calling the police... "We cannot answer legal questions, please seek a lawyer for advise." I don't do anything terribly interesting, so this was almost certainly not an issue actually worth paying $200 for a lawyer to answer.
  • chii 2y ago
    > How do you think the police will give bad advice the police will give you any advice, good or bad. They're not legally responsible for anything they said to you, as long as they're not telling you to commit a crime (in which case, if they did they will deny it). You can still call 'em up of course - but don't 100% just trust their words blindly.
    • toss1 2y ago
      At this point in the US, it seems we are far better off asking ChatGPT or Claude than the average police station.