Police Beat Archives (2025)

FAQs

Should you ever answer police questions? ›

Do I have to answer questions asked by law enforcement officers? No. You have the constitutional right to remain silent.

A: No. You have the constitutional right to remain silent. In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. You cannot be pun- ished for refusing to answer a question.

As of Jun 28, 2024, the average annual pay for a Police Officer in Honolulu is $56,217 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $27.03 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,081/week or $4,684/month.

As stated above, a conviction under CPC §241(c) can result in up to one (1) year in a county jail, a fine of up to $2,000 (two-thousand dollars), or both jail time and a fine.

Asking Incriminating Questions: Police officers may ask incriminating questions during interactions to gather evidence or establish probable cause for an arrest. It's essential to exercise your right to remain silent and refrain from answering questions that could incriminate you.

No federal or state law requires cops in California to identify themselves as police officers to the public, even if someone asks them directly. This is also true of police officers who work undercover. Still, some cities mandate that cops must identify themselves in a public setting.

When a police officer asks where you are coming from, they are looking for evidence to support the possibility that you have or are committing a crime or whether or not you are a threat to public safety. This creates a baseline that they will later write down in a police report.

You have the right to remain silent. For example, you do not have to answer any questions about where you are going, where you are traveling from, what you are doing, or where you live. If you wish to exercise your right to remain silent, say so out loud.

No. However, depending upon the report, it is probably a good idea for the investigator to contact you to get your side of the story...

Who has the highest salary in police? ›

Police Sergeant Salary in Hawaii. $67,500 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $109,600 is the 75th percentile.

Don't argue, resist or obstruct the police, even if you are innocent or police are violating your rights. Keep your hands where police can see them. Ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says yes, calmly and silently walk away.

It may have been a simple traffic stop, but insulting the police officer or being rude in other ways could lead to an arrest. Of course, just getting arrested doesn't mean you're guilty of anything illegal. Be sure to contact a Lakewood criminal defense lawyer to learn about your defense options.

While excessive use of force is grounds for misconduct, for which an officer may be disciplined or face criminal charges, most cases of use of force are considered legally and procedurally justified.

Nonetheless, they may still assume you committed the crime. Even if you're not being investigated for a crime, you have the freedom to refuse to answer police questions. This holds true whether an officer approaches you on the street, summons you to the station for questioning, or arrests you.

Police are great at asking confusing or ambiguous questions to get you to say something they can ultimately use against you. That is why you should never agree to speak with them without first consulting with your attorney and having them present during the questioning.

When the police want to interview you, you have a constitutional right to not answer their questions. It is the government's burden of proof, not yours. People often want to cooperate with the police because they are afraid of looking guilty for refusing to answer questions.

The officer might ask "Do you know why I stopped you?" If you answer at all, your answer should always be "No." Similarly, if the officer asks "Do you know how fast you were going?," the best answer is "Yes." The officer may then tell you how fast you were going but do not argue.