I have a general question, spawned from watching too many cop-lawyer shows on TV.
If police come to your home, place of employment, or whatever, do you have to go with them when they say they want to question you "down at the station" (the station is always "down")? I've noticed that if you're the typically middle or upper income suspect on Law & Order, the cops usually make a request, but if you're the typically low income suspect on NYPD, the cops haul you off with something like "you're coming with us". But, in one episode of Law & Order, someone they wanted to question said, "I don't have to go with you", to which the cop replied, "Actually, you do."
From reading about some high-profile cases in the news the last couple years, it appears that the police cannot compel you to talk with them. Is that, in fact, the law? Is it dependent on jurisdiction or other circumstances?
If police come to your home, place of employment, or whatever, do you have to go with them when they say they want to question you "down at the station" (the station is always "down")? I've noticed that if you're the typically middle or upper income suspect on Law & Order, the cops usually make a request, but if you're the typically low income suspect on NYPD, the cops haul you off with something like "you're coming with us". But, in one episode of Law & Order, someone they wanted to question said, "I don't have to go with you", to which the cop replied, "Actually, you do."
From reading about some high-profile cases in the news the last couple years, it appears that the police cannot compel you to talk with them. Is that, in fact, the law? Is it dependent on jurisdiction or other circumstances?
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