What can I do to defend myself if I’m minding my own business in broad daylight and someone nearby walks up to a cop and accuses me of doing or saying something bad with no proof beyond their words and the fact that we are both in the same general area?
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The burden of proof is on the accuser, not the defender. If there is no proof of such an action there can be no case.
The police has to give you the reason they book you for. Hearsay is not a good enough reason.
So have them produce something verifyable, if they can.
Depends on a few factors. Are you rich? Are you white? Are you relatively “normal” looking? Police use a lot of judgement when deciding how to proceed in any situation. If a crazy homeless person tells a cop I’m trying to steal their kidneys, the cop will probably believe me when I say I’m not. If a little kid goes to a cop and says I tried to abduct them, the cop is probably gonna hear the kid out and they might detain me.
Now, in both of these situations the cop could choose to do anything they want to really. How I present and my actions can drastically effect the outcome.
It isn’t really the cops job to decide if I’m guilty or not. Just to pass it up the chain to the courts if they’re pretty sure I committed a crime.
You can’t stop a cop from doing what they want. The arrest is the beginning of the legal case, not the end. If they’re going to arrest you, they’re going to arrest you. Say “I choose to remain silent and I want to speak to my lawyer.” Do not say anything other than this sentence until you are in a room alone with your lawyer. Then, do whatever your lawyer tells you.
You could preemptively hire a lawyer by paying a retainer.
This abnormally specific
The cops won’t arrest you for no reason (unless you’re a POC… 👀), they don’t want the paperwork. Police conduct an investigation at the scene, if there are no other witnesses and you remain calm, you should be fine.