Police Interrogations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Police Interrogations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver discusses the tactics that can make police interrogations so damaging, particularly for the innocent, and why he’s more of a Lorelai than a Rory.

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47 Responses

  1. HebaruSan says:

    When a lying cop interrogator tells you they have all this evidence against you, take a moment to ponder why they haven’t charged you yet if that’s true

  2. cmhsky says:

    “no one thinks they’d confess to something they didn’t do”

    Yeah. That’s why people used to confess to riding broomsticks and knocking boots with Satan. Because there was no pressure, and it really happened.

    • Miguel Lugo says:

      @Katie Taylor OMG That’s awful! I’m furious on your behalf.

    • Sintanan says:

      I get your point, but a caveat: Women used to actually ride brooms. Turns out there’s a wonderful little hallucinogen category we call tropane alkaloids that you can get from turning certain plants into salves causes all sorts of stomach discomfort if ingested…

      However, if you use an applicator… say a wooden shaft… and apply it to some area of the body known for its moisture and thin membrane walls designed to absorb stuff…. say, the groin region and associated bits (don’t ban me Momma Susan, I’m being vague!)… You get the effects of the hallucinogen without any of the discomfort.

      And the hallucinogens in question are known to create the sensation of flying, floating, and being above the ground as they skew with your field of vision.

      Also, I can neither confirm nor deny that those hallucinogens are _fun_ if you prepare properly. Shag carpets were popular in the 70s and 80s for a reason. (Turns out men can partake by applying to armpits or anywhere you sweat a lot.)

    • Lyle Goodwin says:

      “Funny” how in the historical record where the Knights Templar confessed to their heresy, they overwhelmingly confessed to venial sins and not mortal sins. This game is very old.

    • cheez biscuit says:

      I’m sorry I have to joke that there was literal pressure in the form of a plank covered in weights on your chest

    • Katie Taylor says:

      I learned that confessions are often coerced when I was in 5th grade. My teacher was threatening me with detention, possible suspension over this mean letter that they said I wrote to a girl (who was part of a group of girls who were bullying me at the time, which was how they were “sure” I wrote the letter – funny how the teacher admitted to knowing they were mean to me but didn’t do anything about THAT). They said if I confessed and apologized I wouldn’t get in trouble.

      But see…I could prove it wasn’t me. I’m left handed. My handwriting is and always has been disgusting. I failed penmanship assignments every time. And she had that letter and could clearly see the penmanship wasn’t just legible, it was downright beautiful (for 5th grader hand writing). I literally put my writing beside the letter so she could see (tho she should have already known cos this wasn’t the first day of school). She stood firm and forced me to apologize to my bully for something I didn’t do.

      And in retrospect that’s such a small thing compared to what so many kids go through. No cops were present anywhere in my school, for example. But that lesson burned in my brain and set me up young to see just how wrong “authority” can be.

      Also I will forever hate that teacher. I really hope karma came for her. Do not treat small children that way.

  3. Lisa N says:

    If we’re talking about media representation, let’s not forget how “I’d like to speak to my lawyer” is used as shorthand for guilt. It’s brought out when the investigator brings up a crucial piece of evidence and the guilty person knows they can’t get away with their crime.

  4. Kate says:

    I like that John asks, “What can we do?” It’s not just bad news; it’s enlightenment and activation. As long as we act

    • Noah Carberry says:

      I was hoping he’d offer something meaningful to do for Melissa Lucio, the woman sentenced to die in ten days.

    • kcbh24 says:

      Yeah? How are you actively helping the situation?

    • ixlnxs says:

      😎 What we can do is stay out of the USA, that’s what we can do. Many poor and underdeveloped nations are safe to visit, but the USA is not one of those. 🤩

    • Stefan Schleps says:

      I like the way you think. You are not alone, we act together, or we continue to fall prey to our own police departments while the guilty remain at large. Fun fact: Police in America murder three innocent people every day on average.

  5. Bodidiva Tulku says:

    The line I remember most from Making A Murderer is : “Just because you never commit a crime, doesn’t mean you won’t be accused of one.”

    • WiseSageBum says:

      Yep, if you “fit the profile,” you may be accused and harassed till you “confess” to end the accusations and harassment

  6. RapisGames says:

    It’s hilarious and a little disturbing to see how accurate that scene in My Little Pony was.

    Moral lesson. Always ask for a lawyer. Especially if you are innocent.

    • tekbarrier says:

      Party Of One was such an awesome episode

    • Kaptain K says:

      Never, and I can’t say this clearly enough, NEVER FUCKING EVER talk to a cop without a lawyer present, for any charge above a minor traffic infraction. In fact, don’t talk to them even with a lawyer. Say nothing. If you are asked a question, you speak to the lawyer, and the lawyer answers for you.

    • tekbarrier says:

      @Parker Smith exactly

    • Pesco says:

      Especially if you’re guilty, too! The lawyer may find a fatal flaw in their case, or at the very least negotiate a lesser settlement. The only people who benefit to immediate statements are the police.

    • LemonLark says:

      @BenoHourglass (Law school student here) don’t say either “I want a lawyer” or “I won’t speak without a lawyer.” These are both statements that do not require the officer to do anything. Police will purposefully misinterpret everything you say to avoid letting you invoke your constitutional rights (look up the “Lawyer Dog” case, if you haven’t). You should say “I am invoking my right to an attorney” then shut up.

  7. Occam3132 says:

    NEVER speak to the police. They are not your friend and talking to them can only hurt you!

  8. Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis III says:

    Anyone who psychologically tortures someone into 13 years of wrongful imprisonment deserves double that sentence for themselves

    • JBCavern says:

      Can I give 59 thumbs up for this statement?

    • Craxin01 says:

      At the very least, they should never be allowed to be a police officer again.

    • Kaptain K says:

      In an ideal state, that would be the control factor. The cops wouldn’t have a “whoops! Oh well! Tee-hee!” consequence free ride. Their ass would be on the line for absolutely every move they make. Make them walk on egg-shells to guarantee they’re doing their job right, because the moment they’re found to be wrong, they get locked up for wrongful conviction.

  9. Heather Rockwell says:

    “I was not expecting a scene from My Little Pony…”
    You would be surprised. That show goes places.

    • Arron Beta says:

      Bro I miss when I enjoyed things. Mlp was fun as fuck lol solid show with a solid message. The conventions kicked ass. I got high as fuck with a guy named panda and went to a rave

    • オメガ・Ω says:

      Based show

    • MissKerrot says:

      One of the episodes “Tanks for the memories” literally covered the 5 stages of grief and my cousins, my brother and I watched it and checked off the stages when they occurred. That show had some crazy sh*t

    • Sailor DaiGurren says:

      @Mike Kaltman don’t threaten me with a good time

    • Mike Kaltman says:

      Now that HBO and Discovery share streaming services, don’t be shocked to see more MLP appear on LWT.

  10. AJ PLays - Games and Music says:

    The problem with using body language to judge honesty, is that it doesn’t account Neuro Diversity (people on the spectrum) or even people from a culture where body language might be completely different.

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