Reflect On What You Consider Suspicious
Stereotypes surrounding people of color are abundant in the United States and can influence even the most genuine people.
These stereotypes have infiltrated people’s thoughts through negative media portrayals, inaccurate social media posts, and even racist relatives. In fact, it’s not uncommon to buy into stereotypes and prejudices without even realizing it.
One prime example, of these inaccurate portrayals, is that of Black teenagers with their hoods up. Some people automatically assume that these young people are up to no good, but there can be many other explanations for wearing a hood up including cold weather or a sense of style.
Overall, the problem with stereotypes is that not everyone recognizes that they are being influenced. For this reason, it’s important to question the thoughts that filter into your mind and ask yourself why you are thinking along those lines. You can help combat racism when you begin with addressing and undoing your own biases.
How To Communicate With Your Kids
The goal: You want your kids to know that they can talk to their parents and that they have a safe space where they can process the world around them.
Kids pick up on stress within the household. They overhear things . They see things on the news and social media. People outside the family say things to them or around them. Sometimes other kids say things to your kids. You cant control what information they take in, but you can have a significant impact on their view of the world if you walk alongside them while they take it all in. Here are four keys to creating a safe space for your kids to process tragic events that involve children.
Should I Talk To The Police Won’t I Look Guilty If I Don’t
SHORSTEIN, LASNETSKI, & GIHONShould I talk to the police? Won’t I look guilty if I don’t?Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States“No person…shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself…”Should I talk to the police?Won’t it make me look guilty if I don’t talk to police?What should I do if a police officer wants to ask me about a crime?What can you do for me if a police officer wants to talk to me?What if my family member is being questioned right now? Can I hire you to represent him or her?McAdams v. State Shorstein, Lasnetski & Gihon904-642-3332
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Reason #: Even If Youre Innocent And You Only Tell The Truth In Your Statement And You Give The Police No Information That Can Be Used Against You And The Whole Statement Is Videotaped A Suspects Answers Can Still Be Used Against Him If The Police Have Any Evidence That Any Of The Suspects Statements Are False
Suppose the police have a statement from a witness who claims to have seen the suspect in the area where the crime was committed at the time of the incident. Suppose further that this witness is actually wrong, but has made an honest mistake. The suspect then gives a statement to the police in which he says he was nowhere near the area where the crime took place at the time of the incident. By giving the statement, the suspect has now created a conflict between his own statement and the statement of this witness. By itself, the statement of the witness that he or she saw the suspect in the area at the time the crime was committed is not that useful. But by giving this statement, and creating a conflict with this witnesss statement, the suspect has now made this relatively minor witness into the governments star witness.
The jury will hear the conflict and will assume that the suspect is lying and wonder why.
So even if you tell the complete truth, youre putting your cards on the table without first seeing what evidence the government has. And if the government has some bit of evidence which, through some honest mistake, contradicts part of your story, you set yourself up to be portrayed as a liar by giving a statement without first knowing what evidence the government has.
Police Will Try To Trick You Into Talking
For decades, my partner and I have watched interrogation videos in awe. Even extremely intelligent people make the mistake of talking with the police.
Believe it or not, even some of the best criminal defense attorneys have made the mistake of talking to the police, figuring that if they could just explain their side of things, the officer would let them go.
No matter how nice that a police officer may seem, you must assume that they are trying to get information with which they can convict you. Do not fall for the nice guy routine. Remember, the courts have repeatedly held that the police have the right to lie. The only thing you need to say is that you want your lawyer.
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How To Talk About Suicide
In addition to the above tips, remember that speaking openly and honestly about suicide will not increase the likelihood of suicide and, in fact, often helps. Try to avoid judgemental language and use the term, “die by suicide,” if possible . Do not glorify suicide nor dwell significantly on suicide methods.
Common Scenarios Used By Law Enforcement
Police interviews are aimed at producing one thing and one thing only: a CONFESSION. The best response to a law enforcement officer when they want to interview you is to request to speak a lawyer or simply say nothing at all.
Some of the more common scenarios used by police to interview suspects are:
Direct Confrontation
In this scenario the police officer and/or the detective get in the suspect’s face and tells the suspect that all the evidence points to the suspect and they know the suspect committed the crime. The officer may lie to the suspect and say the suspect’s DNA or fingerprints were found at the crime scene.
The officer continually tells the suspect they know that he/she committed the crime and that he/she should just admit it and move on. The officer is pressing the suspect into a confession. The officer may even get the suspect to offer a face-saving explanation as to why he did it and this allows the suspect to minimize the crime.
Apology Scenario
Here the officer will tell the suspect that he / she should apologize to the victim in order to complete his investigation. The officer will request the suspect write out a full apology letter which includes all the details of the crime.
Your Side of the Story
Lying Scenario
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Norway: Suspect In Pride Month Attack Won’t Talk To Police
The suspect in a mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Norway has refused to explain his actions to investigators and will remain in pretrial custody for the next four weeks, police and his defense lawyer said Sunday.
The man, whom authorities described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the shooting in Oslo’s nightlife district early Saturday. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism.
Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured in what the Norwegian security service called an “Islamist terror act.”
Oslo police said they tried to question the suspect on Saturday and again on Sunday without success. Norwegian media identified him as Zaniar Matapour.
Matapour’s defense lawyer, John Christian Elden, told The Associated Press by email that his client refused to have his statement recorded and videotaped unless police released the entire recording to the public “with no time delay so it won’t be censored or manipulated.”
Recording interrogations is a standard police practice.
Elden previously said his client did not deny being the shooter but had not divulged any motive. The lawyer said Sunday that Matapour did not object to remaining in custody for four weeks so would not appear in court on Monday.
In Norway, pre-trial detention hearings are normally held every four weeks.
A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was called off because of the shooting.
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Reason #: Even If You Are Innocent Its Easy To Tell Some Little White Lie In The Course Of A Statement
This kind of thing happens all the time. A person who is completely innocent and who is trying to vehemently assert their innocence will go overboard and take it a little bit too far and deny some insignificant fact, tell some little white lie, because they want to sound as innocent as possible. But if the police have evidence of that lie, it makes your entire statement look like a lie. The prosecutor will ask: Why did he lie to the police? Why indeed would he lie to the police, unless he were guilty?
That little white lie could be used to destroy your credibility at trial.
An example would be a man who is questioned about a murder. He wants to sound innocent. He wants to sound non-violent. He is, in fact, innocent. So he denies everything. He denies the killing. He denies being in the area where the killing occurred on the night that it occurred. He denies owning a gun, and denies that he has ever owned a gun in his whole life. But it Turns out that this last statement is not true, And the police can prove it. He did at one time during his life own a gun. Now he has told a lie and the police have caught him and things will only go downhill from there. Although he is innocent of the murder, he has told a lie that will be used to destroy his credibility at trial and could be the cause of his conviction.
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How To Talk To Police
It is in your best interest to speak to a lawyer when contacted by a police officer. Speak to your lawyer first before saying anything to the police. A suspected person cannot anticipate what the police officer is trying to get them to admit. Police are skilled at making you feel at ease and extracting the statement they want. They are trained to lie to achieve this goal and they do it every day.
In many cases, a criminal defense lawyer with experience dealing with pre-arrest investigations can collect evidence that may change the outcome of the investigation. I have successfully avoided charges for people after gathering the relevant evidence and bringing it to the attention of the police officer. If the police officer is doing a thorough job, they must communicate this information to the prosecutor before a charging decision is made.
One powerful piece of evidence is a polygraph test. While the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has determined these are inadmissible at trial, they can be a powerful decision-making tool to influence police officers, prosecutors, and grand jurors. Stated differently, they can persuade a prosecutor not to file charges or a grand jury not to indict someone.
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What Happens If You Do Not Move On
If an officer gives a direction, you have to stay away from that place for up to 24 hours. If you refuse to move on or stay away from the area without a reasonable excuse, the police can issue an on-the-spot fine of two penalty units.
If the matter is heard in court, the maximum fine is five penalty units.
Do I Have To Answer Questions Asked By Law Enforcement Officers
No. You have the constitutional right to remain silent. In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers , even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer a question. It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer before agreeing to answer questions. In general, only a judge can order you to answer questions.
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Learn What You Should And Should Not Do When You’ve Been Pulled Over By A Police Officer
Nobody likes to get pulled over, but if a police officer does stop you, you need to know how to talk to the officer. The main thing to remember is that a police officer approaching your car has no idea who you are and whether you pose a threat. The reality is police officers are killed during routine traffic stops, and for this reason, officers will always approach the situation as though you are dangerous. The following tips can help you talk to police, keep yourself safe, and maybe even prevent an arrest or a ticket.
For more information on traffic violations and related criminal offenses, see Traffic Violations & Driving Crimes.
For information on how to handle yourself if you are arrested, see What to Do and Not Do When Arrested.
Know Your Rights When Dealing With The Police
When you’re dealing with the police, you have all of the same rights as an adult, including the:
- Right to silence: In most situations you don’t have to answer questions from the police.
- Right not to be detained unfairly: The police can’t stop or hold you unless they have a good reason to think you were involved in a crime or they are investigating a crime.
- Right to know why the police are detaining or arresting you: The police must tell you right away why they are stopping or arresting you. You have the right to know what your charges are.
- Right not to be searched unreasonably: The police can only search you in certain situations. And the way that they search you must be reasonable.
- Right to speak to a lawyer: The police must help you contact a free lawyer if you’re stopped, questioned, or arrested. And, they must let you speak to that lawyer in private.
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What If The Police Question Me
The police can approach you and ask you questions but they must let you go on your way, unless they arrest you or they have grounds to detain you. And if you are not breaking the law, they cannot arrest you only because they think this will stop someone else from acting violently and causing harm to others.
The police have the right to detain you if they are investigating a crime and they have a “reasonable suspicion” that you are connected to the crime. They can detain you only for a short time. If the crime they are investigating is serious, they can detain you a bit longer. They must tell you why they are detaining you.
The police also have the right to detain you at a “roadblock” if they are following up on a report that, a short time before, someone saw people nearby with handguns.
If the police think you might have committed a crime, you may choose to tell them who you are. But, in most cases, you do not have to answer any questions. You can tell the police that you do not want to say anything until you speak to a lawyer.
However, if you have been in a car accident, the police might ask you for information that they require for an accident report. If you do not give this information when they ask you, you could be charged with anoffence.
Parents Fear Calling The Police For Many Reasons
Most parents, even those who fear their kids, are uneasy with the idea of calling the police on their kids. And believe me, I understand that. Youre getting the law and the government involved in your home. The parents Ive worked with fear many things about police involvement.
Parents fear that if they call the police that they will lose control of the whole process. They fear that the police and courts will now be in charge.
Parents fear the social stigma attached to calling the police. What will the neighbors think if they see the police at their house? No one wants that kind of attention in the neighborhood.
Many parents are embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. They think they are bad parents who cant handle their own kid.
And parents fear that calling the police will harm their long-term relationship with their child. They worry that their child will never forgive them for calling the police.
Believe me, these are all normal and legitimate fears. Ive heard these fears from many parents.
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