Talking Tuesday in class I realized how uneducated I am when it comes to police officers. I didn't know that they could lie to no end just to get a confession or anything else we really learned Tuesday. I decided to do some research on the topic. The site I found-- i'm not sure how credible-- reinstated a lot of the things we were told in class. For the record, I LOVE police officers! In the end they do accomplish a LOT of good through their jobs. They protect those who need protecting and uphold a lot of good in the world. So keep in mind while reading this= they are doing their jobs as they were taught to do. They don't know who is truly guilty or innocent and part of their job is to decipher the differance, through whatever means.
I do NOT agree however with the sites "golden rule:" Don't trust cops. Cops are there for the better of society as a whole and we should keep that in mind. At the end of the day, cops are the good guys. Good guys that just want answers. So while this site is informative I'm choosing not to believe everything in it because it seems very opinion based to me.
I was not aware that cops do not have to read you your Miranda Rights- I was under the impression that your rights were there for you regardless, yet they can still use whatever you say against you in court. From class I know that during interrogation they can lie to get any confession possible. I had never really thought about the lie they tell when they're going to charge someone for... who knows what. They can't charge us with anything! So why have we not learned this earlier? We wait until we're 20 years old to find this stuff out. What about those who still have no idea!?
But how fair is it for a police officer to trick an innocent citizen? A citizen who believes that he or she is in good hands. A citizen who believes they are being protected, not tricked. So it should be common sense to any judge or jury that any confession given should be looked at critically because people will say anything to "help" those who are supposed to "help" us.
I think cops do get a bad wrap. Growing up I heard "I hate the cops" a lot. Maybe it was just the people i grew up with but even in the beginning I thought that it is truly impressive what cops do on a everyday basis. I think that it is comparible and almost equivelant (almost that is) to the military. Cops are out on the streets everyday sacrificing their lives so that that particular neighborhood is protected. I have tons of respect for cops, I think that it is very couragous for them to for instance, pull a car over and approach that car, not knowing if it going to be a defensless old lady behind the wheel or an escaped convict that will do whatever it takes to not go back to prison. I dont think cops are the bad guys, the bad guys are the bad guys!
Here's an important thing to know, Sidney. The cops HAVE to read your your Miranda Rights only when you are under arrest (Link 1). They can bring you in for questioning or detain you for 24 hours, ask you the questions and not inform you of your Miranda Rights. Afterwards, they could arrest you based on your answers. This information is admissable in court, and they probably have no need to question you further.
Do I trust cops? No, unless I'm on a first name basis with them. Most are honest cops and try to find the truth. However, I think we've seen many cops attempt to do the right thing, fail, and send an innocent person to jail. We've seen police videos where police abuse their authority. In my military unit, we had two individuals arrested for police corruption and drug trafficking while we were in the middle of our Afghanistan deployment. When one party has an agenda, the other has to keep their guard up.
Do I respect cops? Yes. It can be a dangerous job, the pay isn't the best, and there are many people who show disrespect. Some are dirty cops, but that shouldn't tarnish everyones' reputations. When the police needs help, give a hand. When the police start asking questions, get an attorney... respectfully.
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/criminal/miranda_rights.html