I'll give this an up vote because it's worth a discussion, but I'm not sure I'd endorse it as such. It is *highly* important to understand your rights, a cop or prosecutor is allowed to lie to you in order to get what they want. They have no obligation to act in your best interests, if they can sucker you into saying or doing what they want to expose something they suspect, they are allowed to.

Knowing your rights is important. Taking the time to tell a cop about them is likely to get you in more trouble, at least if done before you really need to. I've had real good luck myself just being polite and conversational, even back in my long haired hippie days Start sounding like a jailhouse lawyer before you need to and they'll look at you that way, as a probable criminal. When it does come to rights the Supreme Court has made a few decisions over recent years which encroached on them to the point where I'm not positive myself what can be trusted on a case by case basis, so the odds of starting a confrontation you might be wrong in seems too high to do it without real need.

If it comes to a search or something, sure, say you don't consent and make it clear that you won't. If they insist anyway allow them, don't resist and complicate things, just keep sticking to that without your consent part and you might get the case thrown out if they are wrong. If at any point you say something like you're going to look no matter if I want or not so go ahead, you're screwed, That's consent.

When the situation arises become VERY AWARE of Precisely what is being said.

Too often people are =unconsciously polite= and will automatically respond to a friendly "Say, can we step inside?" with "Oh sure c'mon in" as if it were their next door neighbor.

You've just stupidly and naively given consent for the cop to walk thru every room in your home.

The last time i saw a cop act like that was in a Burt Reynolds movie. These "know your rights" things are all well and good but they are really just a guide on how to annoy police and not get out of being caught for doing something wrong. If your not doing anything wrong then co-operate and be on your way. Thier just doing thier job too. The moment you say you refuse to being searched you might as well say "sure ive got illegal stuff in the car but im going to be an ass about it till you search me anyway". Can you imagine ANY police officer saying "oh, you dont allow it? My apologies sir.. please be on your way." pfft. My advice, if you dont like the laws, write to a politician. The police dont make'em up.

Someone please give this a *long tag.

Gold Star invocations (long) cannot be executed by HaricotVert because HaricotVert is not a Gold Star member - sorry.

*long

This video has been marked Long (called by gold star member bluecliff)

holy old'd batman, why u kids discussing so much, it already been done son

Actually dproc, I'd refuse a search and haven't had anything to hide for some 20 years or so. Matter of principle. The government is too invasive and too sure that their suspicions trump our rights already. I'm not going to reinforce that and tell them I don't mind, I do.

Things like probable cause were there for a reason. If they don't have it they don't need to look. Be polite and don't give them any attitude or interfere, but that doesn't mean to just submit without question. And actually I can imagine a cop saying never mind they don't need to look. If they don't have probable cause they can get into trouble if they do anyway, you just have to be willing to file the complaint. Lots will ask anyway just to see if you'll let them though, and lots of people will let them.

dproc,

You are insane. We should be concerned about "annoying" cops because we want to exercise our rights? Very scary...

This is also a *howto video.

Adding video to channels (Howto) - requested by blankfist.

So, you think you know every single law in your area? You'd better know them all before you blithely consent to a search, because the cops will certainly know what they can nail you for, even if you didn't know it was illegal.

Oh, and you'd better be sure some dumb friend didn't accidentally leave something in your car or in your house too.

Consenting to a search is stupid.

Be polite, know your rights, assert them.