It happened again.  A person called me to ask if he needed a lawyer.  He explained that he did nothing wrong, but a detective wanted to talk to him about a crime.  He did like most people would do and went to the police station and answered the detective’s questions.  It was the wrong thing to do.  We’re raised to respect police officers and think they are our friends.  When they are looking into a crime, they are not our friends.

How do I know this?  I was there once.  I spent many years as a detective calling people and convincing them it was in their best interest to talk to me.  I was smooth.  I was polite.  It was, in legal terms, BS.  I, like detectives now, was aiming for the goal in any investigation – clearing my case by arrest.

I have heard it called Million Dollar Legal Advice; it is true.  Don’t talk to the police!  You can say nothing to help yourself.  Anything you say can and will be twisted to fit what the detective needs to show to get the arrest.

In all my years as a detective, I only had two occasions when a defense attorney allowed me to talk to their client.  On one of those occasions, I went to the attorney’s office and he commented the he could not believe that he was letting his client talk to me.  It worked out best for his client because no arrest was made, but it was a decision that only a defense attorney should make after considering all angles.   The other occasion involved a highly respected attorney and a high-profile client.  To this day I still don’t know why the attorney allowed the interview.

Your attorney can say the same thing to the police that you can and it can’t be used against you.  If you say it, it can be used against you.  So, again, because I can’t repeat it enough.  Save yourself problems of your own creation.  Don’t talk to the police.  Talk to an attorney first.  The police are not on your side, an attorney is.