Oddly, you have to actually assert that right in many jurisdictions. In the US, say something like “I plead the fifth” or “I choose to remain silent” and assert your right to an attorney, and shut up until the attorney comes and only speak at the discretion of the attorney. Just staying silent opens you up to attempted manipulation, whereas they must provide an attorney if requested and the attorney may have options to strike some of the manipulation while you wait for the attorney.
Both terrible and admittedly hilarious.
Don’t talk to the cops. Say you want a lawyer and will remain silent. They are not your friend. They have zero interest in “your side” of the story and only wish to gather info to arrest you. Once you’re arrested you are someone else’s problem and they don’t care.
In case you didn’t see it. DONT’T TALK TO COPS.
The answer is that most people have never been in a police interrogation and they think they can talk their way out of it if they just explain themselves enough.
It’s panic thinking. And once you pop you don’t stop.
If you’re in a police interrogation room you have to assume and internally accept that you’re getting charged with something, and not try to talk your way out of it.
People try and talk their way out of it and dig a deeper hole. For example, what I imagined happening with that Briton arrested for carrying a garden trowel:
“But that tool is sharp, right?”
“A bit”
“If someone attacked you, would you stab them with it?”
“Probably”
“You’ve just admitted to carrying an offensive weapon. Accept this caution or we’ll escalate this further”
My first thought would be to just act stupid in that specific situation and straight up lie out of my ass:
“But that tool is sharp, right?”
“Nope”
“If someone attacked you, would you stab them with it?”
“Why are you trying to put words in my mouth?”
Of course, this also has a high likelihood of backfiring. So just stfu with cops.
