Protecting Your Rights Throughout Eastern Iowa Since 1981

Can officers lie during interrogations?

On Behalf of | Mar 1, 2023 | Criminal Defense

You have many rights when you interact with the police. One of the biggest is your right to remain silent and not answer questions.

However, when you become silent, it makes an officer’s job more difficult. They may begin to try a variety of things to get you to speak, including lying. Lies are a common part of interrogations, but you must be careful.

They can, but you cannot

While officers are legally allowed to lie to you, you cannot lie to them. This is not a two-way street. If you tell officers something that is not true, you could face additional charges because it is illegal to lie to law enforcement.

Why they do it

Officers use lies in their tool kit during interrogations because they can be quite effective. They may tell you they have evidence that they do not or that someone else told them something that they did not. The goal is to get a confession from you or to at least get further information they can use against you to prove their case. For this reason, you have the right to not say anything. When you talk, whether you are under arrest or not, officers can use it against you, so you must be careful.

You cannot trust anything an officer says when you are under questioning for a crime. Even if you are a witness or you do not think you are a suspect, you should stay quiet. The only time you should talk is after you have legal representation and get the go-ahead to speak with officers.