Even before the militarization of the police, Miranda reminds us that the police are evidence collectors. Everything you say can and will lead to prosecution. Even if you're seeking help in a hit and run and let it slip you were outside of the cross walk, you should get nailed for jaywalking.
The police are not there to "serve and protect" as much as it says on the side of the car. They patrol for law violations on the best of days, they do not seek those who need help and render aid.
Here is my cop story:
Full disclosure: I'm white and male, and was 20 years old when this happened in the 1990s.
I was driving down the highway in my girlfriend's car. She was in the passenger seat. The car broke down because of a missing oil cap. I pulled over dug around in the trunk found a quart and a rag and was going to put more oil in the car, stuff it with the rag and get to a Sears to buy a proper oil cap. State trooper rolls up wondering what's going on. I tell her this story, she says that's fine and she's going to go back in her car and keep an eye out for us and follow us to make sure we get to Sears at an exit maybe 500 yards from where we were.
She gets back in the car runs the plates, sees they're registered to a person with a female name, but I'm male so she gets out and demands my ID, registration and insurance. I provide my license, girlfriend digs up her insurance card and the car title out of the glove box. Trooper looks this over, looks on the back of the title and sees that the car was signed over from my girlfriend's grand mother to her, and then that the car was signed over to another person, then signed back to my girlfriend. Trooper calls another unit and arrests me for driving w/out insurance. Saying the title transfer invalidates the insurance card and the car isn't insured even though the insurance was paid up. I had a (not) lovely ride in the back of the trooper's car trussed up in cuffs.
So I lost my license for a year, had to pay a $1000 fine (I was a dishwasher making minimum wage it took me a very long time to save up a grand) and had to go through all the rigamarole of getting a new license like I was 16 all over again. The state I was in at the time required that I take a 16 hour course, written exam, eye exam and driving exam... all of which had fees associated with them.
Oh and the girlfriend? Simply had to get a new insurance card printed from the insurer and pay a $50 impound fee to get the car back. Never once helped me with the fine. We broke up soon after that incident.
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