I get that the rule-of-thumb for talking to cops is that you should have a lawyer present. But like, what if it's small shit? Hypothetically, what if I witness a hit and run and the cop is asking me what I saw? Should I really insist that I have a lawyer present?
Sorry if this question sounds really dumb, but I've always been playing this situation out in my mind. My feeling has always just to say what I saw, like tell the cop "it was a grey Mazda SUV". Should I tell the cop that I'll make a statement in the station with my lawyer present?
Also what if there's currently a crime in progress, like a shooting or something? I guess that's unlikely, and that cops are useless.
My rule is if the police aren't going to help the situation, I didn't see anything. The only scenario I can think of where they might help is where I saw a violent crime, where the perpetrator could hurt someone else if not stopped.
I developed this rule when I saw some kids smashing out the windows of a car on my street. I felt bad for the owner, but the cops aren't going to do anything good about it. I don't want to put more kids in school to prison pipeline.
Good rule. My rule is if a shooting would help the situation or not. In the worst case scenario where someone ends up getting shot, would the situation be better? Procedurals aside, that's when you talk to cops.