Q: Can a police officer legally lie to you?
I am 18 years old and live in Wisconsin. This past weekend I was given a underage drinking citation. A small groups of friends and I were at a house and we heard the police knocking on our door. At first nobody opened the door because we knew they did not have a warrant. But then one cop said that if you are 18 or over and you come outside and cooperate you will not get in any trouble, they just wanted to make sure we were all okay. So we went outside and they breathalyzed us and gave us underage drinking citations. When the officer called me to schedule a court date, I asked him if he could lie to us like that and he said he did what he had to do to get us out of the house. Can he do that?
A: Yes, police officers can lie to you. This happens all the time in various circumstances.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
