Lying to Cops

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CreativeRandom

Ex-Bluelighter
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Can you get in trouble for lying to a cop?

Example: A cop pulls you over, he asks if there is any reason a drug dog will alert on the vehicle. You say no. He gets the drug dog, it alerts, and 1 gram of marijuana is found in the car. Can you be charged with anything more/other than misdemeanor possession of marijuana?

Example: Drugs are found in your school locker. You deny possession of them. Somehow, they prove that they were in fact your drugs.

Is there a specific charge, or do the cops say don't lie as intimidation?
 
Good question. I would have to say no, chances are you would just be charged with posession of marijuana. I would recommend denying everything until you are given your miranda rights, at which point you should exercise them and not say anything without the presence of a lawyer.
 
Chances are? Well chances are a cop sees you with a pound of MDMA and lets you ff. Slim? Maybe.

I don't care what the CHANCES are. I'm asking if it's actually possible though, should that chance happen.

What the fuck are you talking about i_enjoy_ecstasy?
 
in those circumstances it would probably almost never be done, but I believe it technically is a crime.

Simply denying something could not add a penalty though, as i interpret it, since you have a right against self-incrimination.
 
s0nic said:
I would recommend denying everything until you are given your miranda rights, at which point you should exercise them and not say anything without the presence of a lawyer.
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They dont verbally give u ur miranda rights anymore, at least not in my experince
 
the armed forces said:
Just say, "not to my knowledge" if this ever happens.
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That sounds suspicious as hell.

Just say no, or better yet ignore the question. They won't add extra charges, although if they do wind up finding something they probably won't give you a warning (but many cops won't, anyway).

In my experience, ignoring the question until the cop demands an answer is the best thing to do. Out of the four times I've been in that situation, twice the cops didn't ask more than once, and let me go after I passed a sobriety test. Once, the cop kept asking, I said no, and he let me go after I passed a sobriety test. Once, the cop actually went and got a warrent for my apartment, busted me, than bitched at me about how I shouldn't have lied to him. He was a dick campus cop though, and would have arrested me anyway.
 
First bit of advice, never talk to the cops about anything. anything. tell them you wish to cooperate, but your lawyer has advise you not to discuss anything without consulting him first.

What would the charges be for "lying" to a cop, if it is illegal?
 
in the UK it would be along the line of perverting the course of justice, although its unlikely to ever be chased up by the prosecutor when there are more substantial charges present.

I most situations it is better to just keep your mouth shut until you have spoken to a lawyer. They can't force you to say anything, however if you do start talking the cops are very apt engineering the interview towards incriminating you (ie they push you towards specific answers).
 
You can get fucked for obstructing the course of justice. Don't break the law - it's bad.
 
CreativeRandom said:
Chances are? Well chances are a cop sees you with a pound of MDMA and lets you ff. Slim? Maybe.

I don't care what the CHANCES are. I'm asking if it's actually possible though, should that chance happen.

What the fuck are you talking about i_enjoy_ecstasy?
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Don't go ape shit. Sorry for trying to help. I'll make sure to ignore you from now on.
 
I didn't mean to come off cross. I see what you are saying but my question is more specific.

I'm sure my agitation with i_enjoy_ecstasy rubbed off. Sorry about that. But I seriously have no clue what he was talking about.
 
It's cool. I guess I over reacted as well.
As faggot_man said the cops could charge you with obstruction of justice, but if you were to make a deal with the district attorney they would probably drop the obstructing charges and just prosecute the posession charges in return for a guilty plea. I still think it's worth denying everything in the hopes that you might not get searched.
 
Say you deny everything, and then get busted with some contraband. Isn't the denying in fact lying? Isn't this obstruction of justice?
 
Yes, but it doesnt mean you're going to be charged with obstruction of justice, it just means you could be. I've heard of plenty of cases where my friends, and people I know have denied having anything on them and the cops ended up finding something. NONE of these people have been charged with obstruction of justice. If the cop really wanted to be a dick he could charge you with it, but even then it doesn't mean it will hold up in court. You do have the right NOT to incriminate yourself.

As a matter of fact I was arrested for minor posession of alcohol several years ago and my friends and I denied having anything on us since we had our alcohol stashed under some leaves in the woods. The cops eventually found our stash. They bitched about how they didn't like people who weren't honest to them, but they didn't charge us with anything extra, and I don't think they could have if they wanted to.
 
For some reason, i'm thinking that lying to the cops, if you are under suspition that is, is not exactly obstruction of justice. To my knowlege, obstruction of Justice is when you do not turn in someone who has commited a crime, if you have knowlege of it before the police/courts do. Or, if you aid this person who commited the crime in any fashion that would "hinder or prevent his apprehension." It could also be used if you do anything to stop or delay a trial, or even just fuck with the trial, such as threatening jurors, briving them, etc. I have never heard of anything coming from someone lying to the cops while they themselves are under suspicion.

And miranda rights. They do not have to be read to you, but anything you have said to the cops before getting arrested, can not be used in court if you have not been read your miranda rights prior to the things you have said.
 
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