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Nearly every person I meet after arrest, behind that metal mesh, tells me they waived their right to silence & spoke to police. I always ask why. The 2 most common answers: “I thought it would help” & “I don’t know.” Never speak to police. Literally never helps. Only can hurt.
More recently, NYPD started videotaping most interrogations. Theyre painful to watch. I sometimes find myself saying ”Don’t do it!” at computer screen even though I know they do. When they’re reading Miranda, I’m like: “Listen! Anything you say *can & will* be used against you!”
Another tip while we’re at it. In addition to not speaking to police, *do not accept or touch anything they give you.* They’ll offer water, other drinks, food, cigarettes. They are not being nice. They are tricking you into collecting your DNA from an “abandonment sample.”
The most powerful words you can say: “I want to speak to an attorney.” Just repeat. Invokes both 5th and 6th Amendment right to silence. Whenever (rarely) my clients do so, this is me:
Also this 👇. One of the most sinister things about jail: your calls to loved ones & friends are recorded & prosecutors use them against you. Not just at trial, but during plea stages. It’s horrible, but really, you can’t speak freely. It’s too risky.
