How should you talk to the police when pulled over?

Despite the fact that you have the right to remain silent after an officer arrests or interrogates you, many people will choose to talk anyway because they believe they will look suspicious otherwise.

In reality, this could backfire because you do not know how to properly interact with police officers and could accidentally incriminate yourself.

Know what information to give

The New Orleans Police Department lays out the operations manual for search and seizures. In understanding these operations, it is easier to know what to do when an officer pulls you over.

First, your name is the only information that you have to say aloud. You do not need to provide any other information when an officer pulls you over.

Next, you need to ensure that you do not have any accidental slips that an officer could read as an admittance of guilt. Even if you do not directly say that you are guilty of something, an officer could easily read guilt into a statement like “I did not know that what I did was illegal”.

Should you consent to a car search?

Police officers might also want your consent to search your car after pulling you over. Giving consent destroys your ability to say that an officer made an illegal search of your car. Even if you give consent in good faith, it is possible that an officer might find something that another person left behind that you did not even know was there.

Thus, it is important to never underestimate your rights, especially your right to remain silent. Always invoke and abide by these rights.