Lying under oath, a.k.a. perjury, is always unlawful. I'm speaking of when not under oath and knowingly fabricating stories or making stuff up like the reply be

Lying under oath, a.k.a. perjury, is always unlawful. I'm speaking of when not under oath and knowingly fabricating stories or making stuff up like the reply below alludes to. The police can lie to you but if you lie to the police you can be charged with obstruction of justice (which I believe you should be if you knowingly do it). The police and government officers and officials should be charged with obscuring the truth if and when they knowing spread falsehoods and lies. Because of the imbalance of power and consequences, it's rarely, if ever, a good idea to talk to the police (and this is a shame).