Newsgroups: misc.legal
From: [d--l] at [ellis.uchicago.edu] (J. Dunlevy)
Subject: Re: What to do when the police stop you (was Re: Cocaine-Tainted Dollar Bills)
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 11:10:20 GMT

David Simon, a reporter for the _Baltimore Sun_ spent a year (1988)
with the Baltimore Police Dept.'s Homicide unit doing research for his
book _Homicide_.
One section of the book outlines a cop's strategy in interrogation (of
witnesses as well as suspects).
From p. 204 - p. 220, Simon --somewhat overly dramatic-- shows how
cops "trick" the ignorant into waiving right after right.
The basic strategy he rights about involves bombarding the subject
with so many questions that s/he doesn't think to say "I want to talk
to a lawyer and I don't want to answer any questions until I do."
Simon reports that cops follow the letter of the law, ignoring the
spirit. 
Thus a subject who says "Maybe I should get a lawyer" is met with the
response, "Maybe you should."
Similarly:
"Those few with heart enough to ask whether they are under arrest are
often answered with a question:
'Why? Do you want to be?'
'No.'
'Then sit the fuck down.'"
Cops are tricky. You have to be explicit in invoking your rights,
otherwise you "waive" them.

-- 
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[d--l] at [midway.uchicago.edu]      John Dunlevy      Chicago, IL 60615  U.S.A.
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