Almost all of us see ourselves as honest law-abiding citizens. Unfortunately, our nation is on a course towards creating so many laws that we are all criminals — whether we know it or not. As Ayn Rand wrote in Atlas Shrugged, “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
This video is a special CATO Institute presentation of the film 10 Rules for Dealing with the Police by the folks at FlexYourRights. This film demonstrates professional legal advice on how to legally assert your Constitutional rights when dealing with police officers. Remember: We only have the rights that we defend. Our forefathers fought and died to give these rights to us. It is inexcusable that we give them up needlessly.
As a quick reference, the 10 Rules are:
- Always be calm and cool.
- You have the right to remain silent.
- You have the right to refuse searches.
- Don’t get tricked into waiving your rights.
- Determine if you’re free to go.
- Don’t do anything illegal.
- Don’t run.
- Never touch a cop.
- Report misconduct: Be a good witness.
- You don’t have to let them in.
