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People Still Don’t Understand Why You Don’t Talk to Police
After all the discussion over the years, and videos showing how bad it can be, it’s clear that too many people still don’t understand why you don’t talk to police. We have posted a number of unlawful (not to be confused with illegal) police contacts with a variety of ways you can deal with it. We have shown passive, confrontational, and even conversational, but the one that has garnered the most curious responses is this one where we said nothing at all.
Judging from the comments, many people treated this video like the driver got out and kicked a dog, or cussed out their grandma for no reason. They seemed to take it personally, giving the video some of the harshest criticism on our YouTube channel. It only proves that we still have a LOT of work to do. People need to understand that there is good reason for doing this. Even the most avid police supporter should at least appreciate the Constitutional consequences here.
This isn’t about being a “douche” just for the sake of being one. It’s to show people how you can avoid giving up your rights in hopes of provoking the conversation of “why?” Frankly, we were saddened by the number of people who still blindly criticize it out of hand.
First and foremost, you have to think about WHY a police officer would approach you. They’re not doing it because they are simply being friendly neighbors. They are contacting you to collect information.
The police are trained in many methods to do one thing…to separate you from information you wouldn’t ordinarily give up to a stranger, or without truly understanding why. Add in that they interact with people many times every single day, and you will likely have but a few interactions your whole life. Who is better at manipulating the other here? A nice smile is no different than threatening intimidation if they are able to get your information.
Make no mistake, even if they are wearing a badge, they are still a stranger. Those badges don’t guarantee they are the good guys. Even if you think MOST cops are good, you don’t know that THIS cop is. Do you normally give out your personal information to strangers when you have ZERO obligation to do so? There are no “good boy points” for people who give it up freely.
So, why are we so willing to hand over our Constitutional rights just because the guy smiles and wears a badge? The police would like nothing more than to destroy the Fourth Amendment so they can force everybody to “show their papers” anytime they want. Do we want a Police State? Do we want to be like other, less free countries?
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserves neither Liberty or Safety.” ~ Ben Franklin
OK, so what’s the big deal? “If you’re doing nothing wrong, then you shouldn’t have a problem talking to them.” Ask yourself why they want it then. Does knowing your information change anything? They are just fishing. They want to collect info about who you are, what you are doing, what you have done previously, and anything else they can report. Remember, this is their J-O-B. Their boss sends them out to collect it.
Were you aware that the Supreme Court actually recommends that you NOT talk to police? Why do you think that is?
Using former Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson as support of his “Don’t Talk to Police” advice, Professor James Duane says, inter alia, that: 1) even perfectly innocent citizens may get themselves into trouble even when the police are trying to do their jobs properly, because police malfeasance is entirely unnecessary for the innocent to convict themselves by mistake; 2) talking to police may bring up erroneous but believable evidence against even innocent witnesses; and 3) individuals convinced of their own innocence may have unknowingly committed a crime which they inadvertently confess to during questioning.
Police have become more like paramilitary organizations than part of the community. One popular goal of paramilitary organizations is to “gather intelligence”. That is to build a database on as many people as they can come into contact with. Not just the bad guys. Everyone. Once you hand over your information, even “if you’re doing nothing wrong”, you are marked. You are called in. You are entered into a database and/or report. This is one step short of a Police State, and you just handed it over freely.
You may be sincere in your efforts to help, but consider the consequences. What happens when another cop calls in your info? Will it now show that you are a “known entity” with previous police contact? What do you think that means to the new officer? Well, it means they need to dig deeper. All because you were being “helpful”, and gave it up even though you were doing nothing wrong.
Just be prepared. Sometimes no matter how hard you try to remain silent, there’s no end to the number of tricks they will try to get that info. Take this example. A first timer trying to remain silent ends up blowing up when the cop tries to pin a false charge on him:
If you have some time, you can hear more about it from an expert on the subject. You can start at 7:40 if you want to get to his TOP REASONS.
People Still Don’t Understand Why You Don’t Talk to Police is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights
Source: http://www.copblock.org/166585/people-still-dont-understand-why-you-dont-talk-to-police/
