> Why is it that if one of them asks “Am I under arrest?”, the police don’t say no and will instead say “I just want to ask a few questions”?
Because they want you to *believe* that you aren't free to go, so you keep answering their questions.
Yes, it absolutely *is* deceitful. Police and investigators use deceit all the time during the course of their investigations in order to get people to reveal information they didn't mean to or confess to crimes.
This isn't *necessarily* a bad thing - the police would be a lot more ineffective at their jobs if they didn't use these tactics. Tens of thousands of murderers and thieves are caught and prosecuted because of them. It just sucks for the innocent civilian that gets wrongly hassled by the police.
Someone being under arrest requires certain procedures that just questioning them does not. Reading the Miranda rights comes to mind, but I can't remember the specific circumstances.
Because if they say the wrong thing, it could tank their investigation and/or cause undue stress. For example, if they say you're detained, a defense lawyer is going to make them justify that. If they imply you're detained, they can say, "I never said he wasn't free to go."
Also, the more information they give you about their investigation, the easier it is to lie to them. If they, for example, tell you where a crime happened first, then you can taylor your alibi to somewhere else.
Those are not citizens. They are protected class citizens and can make judgment calls. You are a citizen and have rights and could demand to simply not speak and talk to an attorney, but most are intimidated to compliance.
It's a game most are uneducated.
> Why is it that if one of them asks “Am I under arrest?”, the police don’t say no and will instead say “I just want to ask a few questions”? Because they want you to *believe* that you aren't free to go, so you keep answering their questions. Yes, it absolutely *is* deceitful. Police and investigators use deceit all the time during the course of their investigations in order to get people to reveal information they didn't mean to or confess to crimes. This isn't *necessarily* a bad thing - the police would be a lot more ineffective at their jobs if they didn't use these tactics. Tens of thousands of murderers and thieves are caught and prosecuted because of them. It just sucks for the innocent civilian that gets wrongly hassled by the police.
Someone being under arrest requires certain procedures that just questioning them does not. Reading the Miranda rights comes to mind, but I can't remember the specific circumstances.
Because if they say the wrong thing, it could tank their investigation and/or cause undue stress. For example, if they say you're detained, a defense lawyer is going to make them justify that. If they imply you're detained, they can say, "I never said he wasn't free to go." Also, the more information they give you about their investigation, the easier it is to lie to them. If they, for example, tell you where a crime happened first, then you can taylor your alibi to somewhere else.
Those are not citizens. They are protected class citizens and can make judgment calls. You are a citizen and have rights and could demand to simply not speak and talk to an attorney, but most are intimidated to compliance. It's a game most are uneducated.
The police can lie to you without any consequences. However, if you lie to the police, it’s a much bigger deal.