My lessons learned.
You only responses should be,
“Am I being detained?”
“What is your probable cause for detaining me?” (Challenge it with his/her next in charge.)
“Am I free to go.”
Along with me, many believe that if the officer turns away from you ^without further instructions^, you are free to go. If they call you back, YOU ARE BEING DETAINED and they will need to either explain or obtain a warrant for detaining you.
I’ve asked a LEO (in a semi-social setting) to paraphrase and interpret the 4th and 5th amendment for me. In his case, he couldn’t get past the “paraphrase” part.
These are the true freedom-fighters in America. This is not a small thing, it is THE thing. The Supreme has ruled that to maintain your rights you must at ALL TIMES be a “belligerent claimant,” in other words: Submission is capitulation.
Yes. Don’t say much because they do it all day every day, so you will not be lawyerly enough to say clever things.
Am I being detained?
What is your probable cause?
Do you have a warrant?
Am I free to go?
Keep it simple and don’t back down.
I got stopped at one of these near Harlingen, Tx. It didn’t sit well with me at all. I was miles from the border, which isn’t being guarded anyway. I just answered the 2 or 3 questions and went on our way. If all of us resisted, they’d quit doing stuff like this.