How do you explain to a child the difference?

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Through your entire grade school years, you are taught by parents, teachers and all that you trust that the police are your friends and to always tell the truth.

Now this is true, the police are our friends and are there to help and protect all but there may come a time when a child, your child who happens to be 12 or 13 years old and is picked up by the police for whatever reason. Hell, they may only be a witness to a crime and whatever they may say can be used against them if the interviewing officer gets his/her spidie senses tingling.

How do you tell a child how to distinguish between the police are there to help you and the police are going to trap you and make you slip up?

I've told my kids that under no circumstances are you to talk to police unless YOU need help and only when you need help you are to have the police call me. If the police pick you up for any reason and they start to ask questions, all you are allowed to answer is that you want them to call me and that you want a lawyer. Do not give them anything else except for my phone number.

I took my experience out, it don't add anything but shed the police in a bad light

[*michaelsean*]

I don’t think there is a contradiction. Overwhelmingly the police are the good guys or at least the OK guys. And they aren’t bad guys when they try to get information from a person, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk to them. Especially a minor.

[NATI BENGALS]

Are you worried about teaching your children to fear law enforcement because of recent high profile white collar crimes? Or because the color of their skin means they should take extra precaution when confronting law enforcement?

[Benton]

When I was growing up, my parents taught me to respect the cops, but stick to your rights. Don't let them search your vehicle, don't talk to them until a parent has been contacted, etc.

These days, I tell my kids to respect the police, ask for an adult/another officer to be called and then do whatever they say. Rights are kind of out the window at this point. Too often police are using 'well, he wouldn't comply with a search of his vehicle, so I found probable cause.'

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(08-27-2018, 10:59 AM)Benton Wrote: When I was growing up, my parents taught me to respect the cops, but stick to your rights. Don't let them search your vehicle, don't talk to them until a parent has been contacted, etc.

These days, I tell my kids to respect the police, ask for an adult/another officer to be called and then do whatever they say. Rights are kind of out the window at this point. Too often police are using 'well, he wouldn't comply with a search of his vehicle, so I found probable cause.'

Except that's not PC.  They can search the vehicle but won't be able to use whatever they find in court.  The best advice you can give anyone is follow instructions and be polite, regardless of the officer's demeanor.  If you are done dirty you'll win in court or, much more likely, won't even be formally charged.  Don't argue the law, even if you're right.  Like most human interactions, if you're calm and polite it will go well.  

[Belsnickel]

(08-27-2018, 11:04 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Except that's not PC.  They can search the vehicle but won't be able to use whatever they find in court.  The best advice you can give anyone is follow instructions and be polite, regardless of the officer's demeanor.  If you are done dirty you'll win in court or, much more likely, won't even be formally charged.  Don't argue the law, even if you're right.  Like most human interactions, if you're calm and polite it will go well.  

I agree with what you're saying here. The unfortunate situation is that our media highlights the interactions where someone may very well have been calm and polite, but things didn't go their way. This isn't to say that these events aren't newsworthy, but the conversation surrounding them becomes very polarizing causes the attitudes toward police that we have.

I just get tired of the conversation overall. We have the DSA folks screaming about police being the fascist tools of the state but then complaining when they don't get the help/protection they desire from them. On the other side, I see so many people with Gadsden license plates and pro-2A stickers on their trucks with Blue Lives Matter stickers right alongside and I am left wondering if they realize who would be coming for their guns if the government passed a law about that.

There is so much nuance to the conversation that people miss in their emotional responses, which is true for so many topics today. It's why I so often stay out of the conversations on here surrounding it because it isn't worth the frustration.

[Benton]

(08-27-2018, 11:04 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Except that's not PC.  They can search the vehicle but won't be able to use whatever they find in court.  The best advice you can give anyone is follow instructions and be polite, regardless of the officer's demeanor.  If you are done dirty you'll win in court or, much more likely, won't even be formally charged.  Don't argue the law, even if you're right.  Like most human interactions, if you're calm and polite it will go well.  

Completely agree with the caveat of "in most cases."

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(08-27-2018, 11:25 AM)Benton Wrote: Completely agree with the caveat of "in most cases."

Meet me at "vast majority" and we'll be good.  

[fredtoast]

(08-27-2018, 11:04 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Except that's not PC.  They can search the vehicle but won't be able to use whatever they find in court.  The best advice you can give anyone is follow instructions and be polite, regardless of the officer's demeanor.  If you are done dirty you'll win in court or, much more likely, won't even be formally charged.  Don't argue the law, even if you're right.  Like most human interactions, if you're calm and polite it will go well.  

Good advice.  However I would make it clear to my kids that if the police ask permission you are allowed to say "No".

Anything a police officer tells you to do, do it.  The street is no place to try and argue the law.  Plus sometimes the officer has additional information that justifies his actions that you have no clue about.

However, when an officer has to ask your permission to do something you do not have to say "yes".  That is where most people get lost.  They think they will make themselves look suspicious by saying "No".  I suggest saying something like "I always cooperate with police, but I don't have time to sit here while you search my car.  I am in a big hurry."

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

To this day, Chris Carpenter still doesn't know how to explain this to his son.