There are cases where the police may get details wrong or accidentally “lie” to you during an investigation. Maybe they’ve accused you of drug trafficking, for instance, but the officer you’re talking with accidentally says the wrong type of drugs. This is just an error and it’s easy to imagine this happening all the time. While you do want to get things sorted out — the type of drugs you’re accused of handling can make a massive difference in your case — they’re not trying to mislead you.
But what if they do decide to lie blatantly? Are they allowed to intentionally tell you something that isn’t true, all while asking you to be honest in your own accounts to them and to the court?
The police can lie to you, and you always need to remember that
It is legal for police officers to lie. They’re allowed to do it. Even things that you tell them in response to the lie can be used against you.
One common example is if the police have you in custody and they believe you were working with an accomplice. They may tell you that they have already arrested the accomplice and the accomplice has told them the truth about what you did. They’ll tell you that they already have all of the evidence they need to put you behind bars, so it will be better for you if you just tell them the truth, rather than trying to hide what you did.
They may have completely fabricated the whole thing. Maybe they don’t have anyone else in custody. Maybe that person didn’t talk. Maybe they’re telling the other person the exact same thing — that you were the one who told them the truth. What they’re trying to do is get you to confess to the crime even though they actually don’t have any evidence or proof that you committed a crime. They’re lying and it can be very effective.
In a situation like this, it is absolutely critical that you know about all of the legal defense options that you have.