"We just want to ask you a few questions..."
Let’s be clear about something. When a police officer, detective or other investigator wants to ask you questions, they are not your friend. They are not there to merely gather the facts. You are a suspect. The point of the police interview is to acquire evidence against you, which may be used in your eventual prosecution.
You don’t have to participate in a police interview. And certainly not alone. In almost all situations, you should not speak with the police. You are under no obligation to speak with them.
Never consent to a police interview or other investigation without first consulting with an attorney. In a police interview, there is no requirement that they tell the truth, and the even the innocent can be led into misstatements through aggressive interrogation tactics. Investigators are trained to break you down and get you to say something you will regret.
The founders of our country knew that speaking to the police without an attorney was such a risk, they specifically included the right to remain silent and the right to counsel in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution.
Why do you suppose the founders of the country found it necessary to include these specific protections? Because they knew that it simply is not a fair fight for a suspect to answer questions without someone well versed in the law at their side. Once you’ve hired an attorney, he will likely tell investigators that you are more than happy to cooperate with their investigation, but that your cooperation will not include submitting to their questioning.
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