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12 Sneaky Tricks Used By Cops To Get What They Want

The cops can lie to you, including saying they have evidence when they don't, to extract a confession.

12 Sneaky Tricks Used By Cops To Get What They Want

June 02, 2023

Ah, the police. They are the guardians of our society, protecting us from the dangers of the world ... allegedly. But what happens when the police go too far? What if they use sneaky tactics to get what they want? How do we know when they're trying to get us to confess to something we didn't do? Or when they're trying to trick us into paying a ticket? In this list, we explore twelve of the most sneaky tricks the cops have used to get what they want.

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From red light cameras to undercover stings, law enforcement officers have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, some good, some not so good. From playing nursery rhymes to calm a tense situation, to sending out fake wedding invitations to catch drug dealers, these tricks are sure to make you think twice about the lengths the police will go to. So, without further ado, let us explore twelve sneaky tricks the cops have used to get what they want.

12

Don't get out of the car.

CRACKED GETTING YOU TO INCRIMINATE YOURSELF IN A TRAFFIC STOP When you get pulled over by the police, they're taught to get you to confess to breaking the law or to say that you weren't being careful enough. For example, if you're asked do you know how fast you were going, you should simply say yes. — Find Law / BAI

11

Police officers: not always honest.

CRACKED LYING TO YOU DURING QUESTIONING Police officers can lie to you when they bring you in for questioning. They might say they have evidence against you, even if they don't. They might turn off the recording or video camera, all in an effort to get you to confess. — Browning Long Law / Police Chief Magazine

10

Red light runners beware: California's watching.

CRACKED GETTING PEOPLE WHO RUN RED LIGHTS TO SCREW THEMSELVES OVER In some cities in California, they catch people who run red lights by sending out notices to the owners of the vehicles caught on camera, asking for the driver's name and license number. If the driver doesn't respond, they won't get in trouble. — CBS / Dolman Law

9

Uncomfortable and powerless.

CRACKED KEEPING A SUSPECT IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE CHAIR Interrogation rooms are set up to make suspects feel really uncomfortable and powerless. They're usually tiny, soundproof rooms with only three chairs - one for the suspect that's really uncomfortable - and a one-way mirror. — How Stuff Works / North Jersey

8

Reid technique: Nine steps to a confession.

CRACKED MANIPULATING YOU INTO CONFESSING A CRIME Law enforcement in the U.S. often use the Reid Technique when interrogating suspects. It's a line of questioning that uses psychological tactics to get people to admit to a crime. — Sciencedirect / Simmrin Law Group

7

"Free tickets" to Iron Bowl - arrest instead.

CRACKED A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED HONEY TRAP A Sheriff's Office in Alabama came up with a clever way to catch parents who weren't paying their child support. They told them they had won free tickets to the Iron Bowl, and when they showed up to get them, they were arrested. — Deadspin / CNN

6

Undercover cops: the new detectives.

CRACKED PRETENDING TO BE IN A CRIMINAL GROUP MICKEY Cops use a Mr. Big sting to get people to admit to serious crimes, like murder. It works by having undercover cops pretend to be part of a criminal group and ask the suspect to do jobs for them. This builds up trust and leads to a confession. — Global News / The Reckoner

5

CIA Interrogations

CRACKED MAKING SUSPECTS FEEL CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD CIA agents can create a sense of isolation and helplessness by outfitting interrogation cells with heavy metal doors, which can be slammed to impress upon the subject that they are cut off from the rest of the world. — How Stuff Works / Soflo Studio

4

FBI's "Invita" Trickery.

CRACKED INVITING PEOPLE TO THE U.S. UNDER FALSE PRETENSES In 2002, the FBI tricked two Russian computer criminals into coming to the US by pretending to be from a made-up network security company called Invita. They wanted to get access to the criminals' computers back in Russia. — NBC / iStock

3

Calm down, kids: it's nursery rhyme time.

CRACKED PLAYING THE WRONG (RIGHT?) KIND OF MUSIC TO DEFUSE A SITUATION In 2015, the police in Belfast tried to calm down a tense situation by playing nursery rhymes over the speakers of an armored vehicle. The music was meant to embarrass the teenagers who were causing the riot, and it worked. — Irish Central / Youtube

2

McDonald's: Monopoly cheaters win.

CRACKED INVENTING A WHOLE MOVIE COMPANY AS A FRONT STATES WORLD AVENUE - RESORTS as 130 : 1.29 SEP B40 VACATION 'RE HOT RAILROAD NEED EA SP 147 #149 E 1995 827 GEL g S I prime - - RECESSARY PURCHASE و - - - 00 I FRESH PLA Want il A - - A - - I im gam 1 Issue f AG g M® In 2001, the FBI set up a fake movie company called Shamrock Productions to look into the McDonald's Monopoly scam that was masterminded by a former cop and the mafia. — NPR / All That's Interesting

1

"Cops" pull off "sting" wedding.

CRACKED PULLING OFF A SUPER-ELABORATE FAKE WEDDING In 1990, two cops in Michigan tricked 86 drug dealers into attending a fake wedding. The wedding cake was blue, with little bumblebees to show that it was a sting operation. The band they hired was called SPOC, an acronym for COPS. — 99 WFMK / Grunge

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