Nwi Police Blotter (2024)

FAQs

Should you ever answer police questions? ›

You have the constitutional right to remain silent. In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer a question.

You do not have to talk to the police.

It is good to have an attorney help you decide what you should or should not tell the police.

You can simply say to the officer, “I would prefer to exercise my right to remain silent,” and then say no more. If you have been placed under arrest, you can tell the police the same or “I would prefer not to answer any of your questions until my attorney can be present.”

While some expectations for police report writing may differ depending on the police department, certain basic guidelines universally apply. Police reports are written in first person, past tense and organized in chronological order. The conclusion should include the final actions as the reporting officer.

Short answer, no. The belief that such is true is a common misconception.

Cursing at police officers may be protected by the First Amendment, which protects the ability of citizens to criticize government officials — even offensively and excessively.

According to Indiana state law, you must provide either your full name, address and date of birth; or your driver's license to the officer if you are stopped.

As a passenger in a vehicle, if the police do not have reasonable suspicion to believe that you have committed a crime, it is legal to refuse to show identification. Reasonable suspicion means that the officer must have a reasonable belief that you have committed a crime or are about to commit a crime.

You have the right to remain silent. For example, you do not have to answer any questions about where you are going, where you are traveling from, what you are doing, or where you live. If you wish to exercise your right to remain silent, say so out loud.

DON'T give explanations, excuses, or stories. Say “I want to remain silent” and “I want to talk to a lawyer.” DON'T talk about your case on the phone. The police might be recording your phone calls (except those to your lawyer).

Why do cops ask where are you coming from? ›

When a police officer asks where you are coming from, they are looking for evidence to support the possibility that you have or are committing a crime or whether or not you are a threat to public safety. This creates a baseline that they will later write down in a police report.

For example, if they are taking a criminal activity report from you (let's say someone burglarized your home), and they'd like to call you at some point during the investigation, they will ask you for your phone number.

Nearly half of a police officer's work involves writing, and because of this, the best arrests will go unprosecuted if the reporting officers do not have the necessary writing skills to record their actions in a case clearly, concisely, and accurately, with sufficient detail.

Final answer: Key qualities for police officers discussed in law enforcement texts include integrity, communication skills, and emotional intelligence.

In addition to the prosecutor, Judges, other attorneys and juries will have to rely on specific information recorded in police reports to make a decision about the honesty, deception, guilt and/or innocence of the parties involved in the reported event.

When a police officer wants to speak with you, it is typically because they are conducting a criminal investigation. But unless you are a victim of a crime, it is never in your best interest to talk to law enforcement. It is our Fifth Amendment Constitutional right to remain silent.

It is important to realize that an officer cannot force you to answer questions during a pre-arrest investigation and a post-arrest interrogation. You might feel like this will make you look more guilty, but you always have the right to decline to answer an officer's questions.

The police officer may ask you if you've had anything to drink or if you know how fast you were driving. They may simply ask you where you're going or where you're coming from. You do not have to provide any answers to these questions, and you can exercise your right to remain silent.

Ignoring or avoiding a detective's attempts to contact you can escalate the situation, leading to a warrant or even an arrest. It is better to have your attorney respond.