Most people have heard the rumor that if you ask an undercover cop if they are a police officer they must tell you. This is simply not true. Police are allowed to lie to you.
Police officers can lie to people during an investigation. They can lie about being an undercover cop, they can lie about information they have (or don’t have) on you. Cops can lie about what other suspects said. For example, a police officer can tell a suspect that their friend admitted to everything when in fact the friend confessed nothing at all.
Cops can lie to you to get information out of you. For example, they can say “If you give us information about your drug dealer, we won’t charge you for drug possession.” They may be telling the truth, but legally they can lie to you.
Police are allowed to lie to suspects or people they are questioning because it makes their job much more efficient. If an officer makes a suspect believe that someone implicated that person in a crime, they may be quicker to confess.
What can you do to protect yourself?
If you are being questioned by police, regardless of whether or not you have been arrested, you should ask to speak to your attorney. Your attorney can advise you on what questions you should and should not answer, and how to properly respond to police questions. An experienced criminal attorney will consult you on your rights when being questioned by the police.
If you need a lawyer because your are wanted for questioning, or if you need legal representation for a criminal or traffic legal matter, call Traffic Law Stop at (314) 644-7102.
