Never talk to the police

Good day all. Now that the Zimmerman trial has been successfully concluded, people are wondering, in some case loudly, why George Zimmerman didn’t take the stand. There were many reasons why he didn’t of course. One was the prosecution did a fine job of providing exculpatory evidence during the trial.

Another reason is that he, or any defendant for that matter, can’t be coerced into testifying against him or herself. This is where people “Take the Fifth,” referring to the 5^th Amendment ((Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution)) of the United States Constitution. The Amendment reads:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

One of the items used by the prosecution was the taped interviews George Zimmerman gave to police during the investigation. This actually worked out in Zimmerman’s favor, but could easily have gone wrong. Below is a video of a law school professor and former defense attorney giving a lecture on why you should never talk to the police without a lawyer present. He also gives time to a police officer with a differing viewpoint. The video is long, 48 minutes, but well worth watching.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc’]

This advice is very important, especially if you are a person who is forced to use a firearm or other weapon to defend yourself or others. Massad Ayoob ((Massad F. Ayoob)) is a well known firearms and self defense instructor. He will tell you that if you are involved in a self defense shooting, the first thing you do is put the gun away. (Out of your hands) When the police arrive, tell them that you were attacked, point out the weapons and other evidence, then explain to the officer that you will give a full and complete statement once you have spoken with an attorney. (His advice is far more detailed and I recommend either attending one of his classes or purchasing his books)

The basic rule of thumb with regards to the police is, in some situations, even if you are innocent, they don’t care. You will run into prosecutors who are only interested in how a case can help them advance. There are far to many Angela Corey’s ((Angela B. Corey)) and Michael Nifongs ((Michael Byron “Mike” Nifong)) in the judicial system and they have done and are doing tremendous damage. Far to many have forgotten the Blackstone ((Sir William Blackstone)) Ratio:

“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer”

Fortunately for George Zimmerman, the jury, even if they didn’t know the quote, saw the truth for what it was. Zimmerman was lucky in that he had a first rate legal team, otherwise he would have been unjustly railroaded into prison. Far to many people are already locked up because they made the mistake of talking to the police without competent legal representation present.

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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