Should an Innocent Person Talk to the Police?
I’m a fan of the US Constitution and particularly the Bill of Rights. More than the environmental catastrophes and foreign policy catastrophes and disaster relief catastrophes of the Bush administration, it has always been the erosion of the Constitution that has worried me the most. I suppose if you read this blog you know why. It has also infuriated me when I hear, as I have on talk radio (and I’m talking about NPR not Rush Limbaugh), when I hear people excuse the harsh interrogation and illegitimate detention of terror suspects, saying “These are bad people.” No. These are people, who if US citizens would have the right to be considered innocent (not the luxury or privilege, but the right). They are terror suspects, not terrorists. Big difference.
I should also say that I have no particular animosity towards the police. All but two of my experiences with the police have been positive and those were not that bad (though in both cases the cops abused their power and I wish I had gotten their badge numbers. Both should have been subject to formal reprimand, though not fired). That said, here’s a great lecture from a law professor and a police officer on why you should never talk to the police, even if you are innocent.
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