imported post
For those who think this sounds familiar, it is; this is the lecture by a lawyerto a Virginia college class regarding the 5th Amendment, with Officer Bruch giving the afterword. This video has been seen by practically everyone.
However, there is wiggle room here. You'll know in the first ten seconds what the police officer wants to talk to you about, and hopefully at that point you will also know his intentions. I want to make this very clear: Given that you have done nothing wrong, you have little to fear from a police officer. However, also given that you have done nothing wrong, a police officer usually has no reason to approach you. There are NO absolutes in any interpersonal relationships; that's why "people skills" are so valuable, and proper protocol and manners are taught really before you know how to speak. Therefore, any interaction with another human being is a balancing act. That's especially true with someone who has authority over you.
What I'm trying to get at here is the Golden Rule; treat others how you wish to be treated. The police spend most of their time dealing with people who grossly disobey that rule. It's gonna rub off. That does not excuse them,but when their behavior is not in keeping with that rule it doesn't excuse you either. Stand in their shoes for a second and think of how rude it looks to an officer trying to investigate apossible crimewhen theirquestions are interrupted with an insistent ostinato of "Am I being detained?" Forget that it's totally legal and your right as a citizen not to be unfairly questioned or suspected; would you do that to anyone else?
Now think of the consequences of doing that to an officer. It gets you out of that situation, but the cop just got a hell of a lot more frustrated with the people he's supposed to serve and protect and deepens the "us vs them" mentality. It's totally at cross purposes to what we want to do, which is get officers to see us as good guys.
Instead of the absolute, how about a more flexible approach; During the initial encounter, say the first 10 seconds, make an effort to be friendly and courteous. It's exactly what you'd want. The officer may just want to know if you saw a suspicious black Lincoln Town Car cruising the block while you've been getting coffee. He may want to know what kind of gun you're carrying. Or he may think you're about to go postal. In any case, policemen are pretty good at coming to the point; they have a job to do and they do it efficiently and by-the-book in most cases. After 10 to 15 seconds you will know what this encounter is all about and you can proceed from there. If you feel you are being interrogated, Mr. Nice Guy can very easily and quickly give way to Mr. "Am I being detained". It's harder to start being nice to someone whom you formerly treated like the scum of the earth.