When allegations of criminal wrongdoing fly against you, the police are bound to come knocking. Even if they don’t have enough evidence to arrest you outright for the offense in question, there’s a good chance that they’ll want to bring you in for questioning.
This can be a pivotal moment in your case. If you’re not careful, you could end up saying something incriminating that heightens your risk of being convicted. That’s why it’s best to avoid talking to the police until advised otherwise by your attorney.
Yet, the police can be incredibly sneaky. If you let your guard down for an instant, they can deploy questioning strategies that get you talking. That’s why in this post we want to look at some of the common ways that the police get individuals to talk.
Strategies the police might use to get you to talk about criminal allegations
Investigators receive extensive training on interrogation techniques, and their experience might tell them what kind of strategies work best for getting information out of individuals. Therefore, if the police subject you to questioning, you should be sure to watch out for these tricks that they use:
- Lying to you about the evidence they have in their possession: The police can lie to you about anything. One effective strategy they use to get suspects to talk, then, is to lie to them about the existence of incriminating evidence. The police in your case might claim they have physical evidence linking you to the crime in question, or they might indicate that they have a witness who puts you at the scene of the crime. Don’t fall for investigators’ lies.
- Threatening you and those you care about: Detectives might also try to scare you into talking. They can do this by threatening you with harsher, sometimes even unrelated offenses, or they might state that they’ll arrest someone you care about if you don’t start talking. Don’ let this maneuver trick you into divulging incriminating information. In many instances, the police are just bluffing to try to get you to disclose the information they need to conduct an arrest and secure a conviction.
- Acting friendly: The police are not your friend. Their main goal is to secure an arrest and a conviction for the crime in question. So, if they try to buddy up to you and act like they just want to help you, don’t fall for it.
- Offering you something they can’t provide: To lull you into a sense of security, the police might offer to go easy on you if you provide them with the information they’re looking for. Truth be told, though, the police can do very little for you. If the prosecutor wants to pursue certain charges, they can do so as long as they have a probable cause affidavit supporting the allegations of the alleged offense. So, don’t give too much weight to any promises investigators make.
Remember, you have certain rights, particularly if you’re subjected to custodial interrogation. So, be sure to invoke those rights if you can so that you fully protect yourself as much as possible.
Don’t make a costly mistake in your criminal case
A criminal conviction can devastate your future, stripping you of your freedom, your career, and your relationships. With so much on the line, you owe it to yourself to build an aggressive criminal defense. That starts with knowing how to avoid costly mistakes. If you want to learn more about building a successful criminal defense, then please continue to read up on criminal defense strategies and what they can and can’t do for you.