minoanmiss | Advice for Teens Regarding Arrest

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I found this in a discussion and wanted to copy it down. (Which doesn't mean I'd apply it without modification to every kid -- it definitely would need edits for minority kids, for instance.)

"I tell my teenage son: “If a cop stops you and arrests you, go quietly. Go along with it all. Arrests don’t matter. We can sort it all out when you get to the stationhouse. Be quiet, don’t talk, don’t say anything, but for God’s sake, don’t argue. He has a gun, a taser, and absolutely no consequences.
“If he’s a good cop, you owe it to him to not make his job any harder than it needs to be. He’s got a tough job. He deserves your support and your cooperation.
“If he’s a bad cop–and this could be on a spectrum from “untrained and too scared” to “flat-out mean”–he could really hurt you.
“So either way, just go quietly a long. Emphasis on ‘quietly’–don’t SAY anything. But don’t argue. It’s OK, it doesn’t matter, it’s just an arrest.”

Current Mood: contemplative

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

bikergeek

(I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.)

I'd add:

1. Do not make any statements. The cop is not interested in "your side of the story" or finding out how "this is all a misunderstanding". Say nothing and lawyer up.

2. Do not consent to any searches of your person or your vehicle. If you're actually taken into custody, they're going to do a pat-down for weapons and contraband, and you can't do anything about that; and if your vehicle is towed and impounded, they'll probably search it as part of the process of impounding it, and you can't do anything about that either. But the appropriate response to "Mind if I look in the trunk?" is "I do not consent."

Oh yeah in Florida apparently there's the crime of "resisting arrest without violence." That can be as little as saying "Why are you hassling me, man? I didn't do anything!"

Edited Date: 2020-01-14 05:48 pm (UTC)

From:

ororo

I like these additions and it makes me sick that this conversation has to happen.

From:

bikergeek

My father told me #1 back in high school in the early '80s. I guess he figured I might get in trouble for something like underage drinking, penny-ante weed possession, "disorderly conduct", or any of a thousand other petty bullshit things that young men get in trouble with the police for.

Oddly liberal, coming from him.

ETA: Excellent viewing. A bit long-winded at 46 minutes but it's worth it, trust me.

Edited Date: 2020-01-14 08:34 pm (UTC)

From:

hitchhiker

same :-/

From:

conuly

At least six times a year I remind the kids that yes, cops are allowed to lie, that as long as they're still minors all they should say is "I want my mom" and that after that it's "I want my lawyer", and that they should never, ever, ever confess to a crime they didn't commit. People do that every freaking day, mostly because the cops lie and intimidate them into confessing and offer them plea bargains.

Of course, then I think about Kalief Browder and wonder if maybe he'd still be here if he'd just said what they wanted. He'd've been out faster, certainly.