You’ve been arrested, and the charges are serious. After you get hauled into the police station, you will likely face interrogation by one or more law enforcement officers. What happens in those crucial minutes to hours has a huge impact on the outcome of your criminal charges.
Below is some vital information to keep in mind if you face police interrogation for a criminal offense.
Your interrogators are highly trained
These detectives are no greenhorns out writing traffic tickets. These men and women investigate the worst of the worst crimes imaginable — murders, child rape, sex trafficking, horrific child abuse cases.
They’ve studied countless hours, boning up on the subtle body language cues that can allegedly indicate deception in criminal suspects. They use proven techniques like “good cop/bad cop” to get suspects to drop their guards and reveal key information. They may offer you a cold can of pop just to get a sample of your DNA.
Don’t fall for their tricks
It doesn’t matter whether you are guilty or innocent of the crimes for which you stand accused. You may think that because you didn’t do it, you can explain things and soon be on your way.
But that’s not how any of this works. Cops’ goals are to close cases and prosecutors’ goals are to get convictions. They are never on your side.
What to do instead of answering questions
While there is no need to be antagonistic, which can actually work against you, all criminal suspects have the right to refuse to answer questions and to have a lawyer present during police interrogations. Exercise those rights by verbally stating that you will not respond to questions without your attorney present.