[tyingq]

I think we all understand that part. It's the part where they can say anything happened and it's suddenly your word against theirs. So, irritating them can have consequences.

The tactic feels fine for an interrogation room, where's everything is on camera. In the outside world, it's trickier.

[mplanchard]

Yeah that is true, although most police have bodycams these days, and they’ve also got a recording going from their car, so there’s generally going to be some evidence in your favor. It is also always a good idea to start recording at least audio on your phone before talking to police.

A lot of people seem to think that not answering questions is going to aggravate the officer, and that’s not generally true in my experience. Assuming you’re asserting your rights calmly and not being belligerent, it’s well within the normal scope of behavior that they expert to encounter.