On Apr 2, 9:36*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
wrote:

Don't talk to cops...

If you're a criminal being questioned about your crime, that is
usually good advice. *If you're not, then it doesn't apply.

It most certainly does. It applies even more so if you are not guilty.

What I meant was if you're the one who has committed the crime
then the advice to never talk to the police is generally sound.
If you have no involvement in the crime, then talking to the police
is perfectly fine, as long as you are not going to lie.

If we take your above statement at face value, you're saying
that no one should ever talk to the police. So, while walking
down the street, I saw Joe rob the bank. I should not talk
to the police?



There are countless cases where a person was convicted due to what he said
to the investigating officers irrespective of his actual guilt.

The cases where a person was not involved in the initial crime
was charged would have to be for lying to the police. So, yes
I agree, if you plan on lying and committing the crime of
obstruction of justice yourself, then you should not talk to police.



The cops JOB
is to get statements from the alleged perp, irrespective of whether he's
guilty of a crime. Oftentimes, unbeknownst to the investigating cop, a
statement made by the suspect can be used later at trial to impeach him.

This clearly only applies to someone who actually was involved
in the crime to begin with or who lies to mislead investigators.
Not what I was talking about.



Even if what you say is 100% truthful, it can, and will be, used against
you.

Well, of course. A good example of that would be a confession,
which only a person who is the criminal could give.





In fact,
it could be very bad advice. *For example, let's say your
friends BooBoo and Slim pick you up for what you think is
just a ride to a friends house. *Along the way, they make a
stop somewhere else, tell you to wait in the car. *They go
inside, you hear shots and a few minutes later they run
back to the car. *In that case, if you come forward
immediately with your honest story, you will likely
not be charged because
you are innocent. * But if the police finally figure out
who all was in that car because they have a witness
and come find you a week later, you could be in a position
that is much harder to defend.

Heh! Unless you work out a deal with the DA to testify against BooBoo and
Slim, you WILL be charged, you will be convicted.
How's the DA to know
whether you were just an innocent hitch-hiker or the lookout for the
goblins?

So now we convict people because the DA doesn't know for
sure they are innocent? In the example, there could be other
evidence that helps establish innocence. The statements of
the other suspects, people they talked to, their lack of any
criminal record, etc.


You were in the car. A crime was committed. You were intimate
friends with the known perps. And you say you were just along for the ride?

Do you seriously expect the DA to take your word for it?

If you come forth a few hours after your buddies committed the
crime, tell the whole story that matches all the facts, then I say
you've gone a long way toward proving your version, that you
are innocent. Are you
suggesting that someone in that position, innocent, should,
as the other poster suggested, never talk to the police?
What happens when 3 weeks later the police come knocking
on his door? Who's the DA going to believe now?