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Comment by andrewchambers | Hacker News Reader

I think in America I think you have the option of saying nothing. It is hard to keep your mouth closed because of the huge weight of social pressure telling you to respect the police authority.

I haven't been in this situation myself, but I imagine doing this would irritate the officers and cause you to be taken back to the police station and need to stay there at least overnight.

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You can definitely say nothing, or just keep saying "I'd like to see a lawyer". An overnight stay at the police station is not a big deal compared to saying something stupid that you'll have to deal with for a lot longer.

Also something to keep in mind is that it's not illegal for cops to lie to you.

Woah, are you serious? So could they do something like 'Yes sir, I know you have Miranda rights, but since they passed <bs law> on <bs date>, if you are caught with possession of <some drug>, you no longer have the right to remain silent, and if you do, it can add up to <ridiculous amount> dollars to your charges.'

What if the guy confesses something there and then later finds out the cop was lying? Can he do something about it?

This is actually their standard line, almost verbatim. Replace XYZ law with 'lying to me is illegal' and 'if you make this hard it will much worse for you and I won't be able to help you...' It is a long and well established right for the police to use deception to gain confessions. They will Mirandize you and then convince and cajole you into waiving your rights. They do it every day, and in almost every case.

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