[VikingCoder]

"Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you."

If you do what the officer tells you to, 100% of the time without question, you will self-incriminate. You will surrender your rights. You will answer questions without an attorney. You will NOT answer questions, without verbally exercising your right to remain silent - and shockingly, that can be used against you as evidence. You can't answer some questions and not answer others - there is no such thing as selectively exercising your right to remain silent. (Other than your name, and probably address, etc.) If you answer some questions, and don't answer others, that can be used against you.

The jobs that cops do is impossibly hard. I mean that, impossible. It is not possible to always defend the rights of people, and always collect evidence to prosecute. Those are competing goals.

But the advice, "do what the officer tells you," is not good advice.

I am not a lawyer, and your results may vary.

[WettowelReactor]

You are right that it in that

>>It is not possible to always defend the rights of people, >>and always collect evidence to prosecute.

but the US system was designed to weight the scales in favor of defending the rights of individuals when these goals come at odds.

"innocent until proven guilty".

[VikingCoder]

IN COURT.

On the streets, I don't think it's worked out that way.

Cops certainly don't treat people like they're innocent.