Know Your Rights: Answering Police Questions

In any instance where you are stopped by law enforcement, you are most certainly going to be asked questions by police officers. They'll ask you to identify yourself[b]*[/b], what you're doing, where you live, where you're from, where you're going, etc. However, you are under no obligation to answer any of their questions. It doesn't matter if you're detained or under arrest, your right to silence prevents you from being required to answer any police questions or to even speak to police.

From many interactions I've seen of people refusing to answer questions from police, many officers interpret it as a form of aggression. They take refusal to answer questions personally or one being defensive. When refusing to answer questions, just politely explain you're simply invoking your right to remain silent. Do all you can reduce risk to yourself. Remain calm, do not give any false information and keep your hands where police can see them.

If you wish to end the interaction and leave, ask the officer(s) if you are free to do so. If you are being detained or under arrest, no matter what, keep invoking your right to silence. Don't say anything unless it's to ask for a lawyer.

[b][i]*Not being obligated to provide your identification is not universal. In many parts of the world and in some US states, there are stop and identify statutes where you are legally required to provide identification upon request by law enforcement. I'll go more into that on another post.[/i][/b]

[i]Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, this is just something I'm posting for informative purposes. Most of it is ripped from a segment of the same name on my sister's podcast, so credit to her for giving me something to post about here.[/i]