Good advice, but I would add that it is ~really~ hard to do. In the aftermath of a crisis when things suddenly go from frantic to quiet, and you're coming down off an insane adrenaline surge, the urge to talk it out with somebody -anybody- is overpowering. You get the shakes from the adrenaline, and your mind is racing as it tries to make sense of what probably only lasted a few moments. Talking is part of how the brain processes the chaos and make an orderly record of what you've just been through. Again... excellent advice, but it's important to realize that people often just can't shut up, even when they know better.
As Ron White says: “I had the right to remain silent, just not the ability.”
also,officers are trained to solicit info from people in this situation by pretending to be their advocate/buddy/pal.
on the flip side, officers involved in shootings are typically afforded 24-48 hours of paid time off BEFORE having to answer questions from internal affairs.
“Good advice, but I would add that it is ~really~ hard to do”
Excellent point, I totally agree and cannot emphasise enough to anybody caught up with the law, guilty or innocent, -frequently cops don’t actually care so long as they get a conviction- DO NOT TALK to the police, they are not your friends in the situation.
This is not an anti-police rant, it’s sensible advice, don’t talk, don’t say anything, you have the right to remain silent, use that right. Your lawyer is paid to talk for you and can do a better job than you.
Of course this is not easy, it’s human nature for all of us to want to reply to someone who is asking us questions but do not say anything, nothing.
I recall when I got in a spot of bother with the police over a dispute with someone else. I felt, still feel, that of course I was entirely in the right and I wanted to tell nice, friendly Mr Policeman that, but given that the other party also felt he was in the right and the cop didn’t know either of us from Adam and just wanted to get the case closed my lawyer told me to shut up.
In the course of the examination, the nice policeman asked me loads of questions, he seemed so reasonable and polite that of course I wanted to let him hear my side of the story. My lawyer glared at me like thunder every time I looked like I was going to say something and I would simply look down and study my finger nails.
I won my case, my opponent’s lawyer must have been a bit softer because his client told everything he knew about the incident, every detail, no doubt it all sounded perfectly reasonable to him and he was sure the cop would agree.
The cop didn’t agree.
DO NOT TALK, SAY NOTHING!