Why do suspects always talk to police

What is one's goal?

If one has a goal of walking out the front door of a police department and not suffering an arrest, maybe one talks oneself out from an arrest. If one has a goal of avoiding a life sentence or a goal of avoiding death penalty, not talking is the wise choice. Not talking does not mean one walks out the front door of police department. Not talking may mean one sits for a few days. Not talking will get often get a thorough search of U.S. data basis. Not talking may get a search on INTERPOL. Timothy McVeigh is a good example. Within an hour of Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, McVeigh was pulled over for driving a car sans plates. He also was carrying a pistol on his person. McVeigh did not talk.

Not talking if you're arrested may also get you a cellmate that isn't very nice. They'll throw you in with the worst they have. What to do, what to do ....

real world crime & justice wrote:

Timothy McVeigh is a good example. Within an hour of Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, McVeigh was pulled over for driving a car sans plates. He also was carrying a pistol on his person. McVeigh did not talk.

Right. Don't talk to cops, and ALSO don't drive without plates with an illegal concealed firearm in front of them.

Pro Bone Attorney wrote:

How about that last time you were pulled over for speeding? You were polite and answered the officer’s questions and hoped you’d be let go with a warning. Guess what, you talked to the police because you thought you could talk your way out of it. Who’s dumber now?

I didn't. I clammed up and let him write the ticket and drove away.

Bad Wigins wrote:

real world crime & justice wrote:

Timothy McVeigh is a good example. Within an hour of Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, McVeigh was pulled over for driving a car sans plates. He also was carrying a pistol on his person. McVeigh did not talk.

Right. Don't talk to cops, and ALSO don't drive without plates with an illegal concealed firearm in front of them.

McVeigh was not the typical criminal. While on death row, it has been reported that McVeigh said he was prepared to kill himself if the truck bomb did not ignite by shooting the truck with the pistol McVeigh had on him at time of his arrest. McVeigh said it was intentional that he did not have plates on his car. McVeigh said, according to a reporter, McVeigh did not want his plates traced. McVeigh must have assumed at time of his arrest for driving a car with no plates and carrying a firearm while in his car in a concealed manner would mean a few days in jail only. I understand McVeigh was being processed to be released on Own Recognizance then a sketch image of McVeigh was released.

Those who never go into military do fine in life. Those who never raise their hand for special forces, do their time in military and do fine in life. I have noticed that those who go into military and then are forced to leave with a Dishonorable Discharge or Bad Conduct Discharge tend to not do well the rest of their life. I find those who wash out of special forces tend to not do well there after. Timothy McVeigh either was not allowed to try out for Army Rangers for one reason or another or McVeigh washed out of Army Rangers.

That type of rejection by government tends to affect one's mental state. Lee Harvey Oswald left U.S.M.C. with Less Than Honorable Discharge.

problem solver wrote:

Pro Bone Attorney wrote:

How about that last time you were pulled over for speeding? You were polite and answered the officer’s questions and hoped you’d be let go with a warning. Guess what, you talked to the police because you thought you could talk your way out of it. Who’s dumber now?

I didn't. I clammed up and let him write the ticket and drove away.

As an attorney, I can tell you the best thing to do is to do nothing. Just comply with his requests and fight it later if you feel as though you have been wronged.

real world crime & justice wrote:

McVeigh did not want his plates traced. McVeigh must have assumed at time of his arrest for driving a car with no plates and carrying a firearm while in his car in a concealed manner would mean a few days in jail only. I understand McVeigh was being processed to be released on Own Recognizance then a sketch image of McVeigh was released.

If McVeigh didn't want to be traced back, he should have taken a different vehicle entirely - even hopped a freight train, which you can learn how from any crusty punk living by your local train tracks.

But more importantly, if he didn't want to be caught, he should never have rented a truck so conspicuously that a police sketch artist could come up with a close likeness. That alone made his arrest inevitable.

I read that he was housed in the same unit as Ted Kaczynski in prison, who probably explained this to him during their limited yard time. The police sketch of Unabom was a useless joke that could have been any guy in shades and a hood.

Military missions, especially missions not counting on special forces to do the heavy lifting, exit strategy is not highly important. McVeigh planned and rehearsed his bombing mission with significant precision. He recruited two ex-military fellas to help him. McVeigh wrestled with doing the crime and getting away and he also wrestled with being an infamous leader of a white nationalist movement. If I recall, what McVeigh said while he was on death row, I believe McVeigh thought he would have been killed by law enforcement at or near the scene. McVeigh did not thoroughly plan an exit.

A psychologist would say Unabomber wanted to get caught. For years, Unabomber had two things going for him: 1) know one knew the identity of Unabomber; 2) know one knew exactly where Ted Kaczynski lived.

That roughly 3000 word manifesto Kaczynski sent to NY Times to me was Ted K saying he was sick of living like guerrilla. Ted K has a PhD. Many people know his writing style. Kaczynski walks around mad at his brother for turning him in. Ted K's sister-in-law was the one who recognized his writing, said manifesto. Sister-in-law told her husband to turn Ted K in.