Can the police use trickery and lies?

On Behalf of | Mar 6, 2020 | Drug Charges

The COVID-19 virus has been making a lot of headlines around the nation. People are naturally concerned about how to stay safe.

Well, several police departments (including at least one here in Florida) decided that they might be able to take advantage of the growing anxiety surrounding the new coronavirus. They put out the word to the general public that any drugs that were obtained on the black market might be contaminated with the viral disease. These “helpful” police officials offered to do free testing on any drugs that the public cared to bring into the station. They even offered to meet worried residents in their homes if the drugs were too bulky to easily transport.

The news media quickly picked up on the scam, but police officials insisted that it wasn’t a joke. After all, they say, they’ve had people report bad drug deals and stolen drugs before. They defended their actions by saying that it could get illegal drugs off the street.”

To many, pretending to offer a public service as a ruse to get people to turn in evidence against themselves and admit to a crime seems like it’s a kind of entrapment — but it actually isn’t. Police can’t push someone into committing a crime or abuse someone in order to get a confession, but they are allowed to use all manner of deceits against you.

This is something that you should always keep in mind when you’re dealing with the police. No matter how sincere their statements seem, they could be lying about anything. One of the chief reasons you should have an attorney with you when you’re talking to the police is to protect yourself from that kind of trickery.

In The Media:

  • ABC | Nightline
  • The O'Reilly Factor
  • Court TV
  • ABC | 2020
  • CNN
  • Larry King Live
  • The Miami Herald
  • Good Morning America