There are countless examples of police not knowing the law. If you talk to them ...

neilv · 2024-12-20T01:35:24 1734658524

You don't want legal advice. You know where your stolen bike is, so you call the police. I think that's the usual process.

Probably they will verify that the bike is yours, and retrieve it, or they will say that they don't have the resources.

Are people imagining that the police will say that you can go take the bike, but then turn around and arrest you for theft?

Of course, if the police tell you "finders keepers; it's in the Constitution", then you can seek legal advice.

sneak · 2024-12-20T03:31:32 1734665492

No. The police will offer you the option to come to the police station and fill out a report so you can get a police report number for your insurance claim. Nothing else will happen.

Police don’t usually investigate petty crimes.

michaelt · 2024-12-20T11:33:40 1734694420

> Are people imagining that the police will say that you can go take the bike, but then turn around and arrest you for theft?

People are imagining the police will tell you that you can't steal it back, when legally you can.

After all, it's the police's job to keep the peace. And things are more peaceful if I'm not busting up thieves' hideouts all guns blazing like Rambo.

wat10000 · 2024-12-20T17:12:19 1734714739

I’m also imagining the police telling you that you can do something that is actually illegal, and then you get prosecuted for it. “The cops said it was ok” may not be an adequate defense.

TomatoCo · 2024-12-21T01:00:39 1734742839

A cop telling you it's okay to do something, and then getting arrested for it, might be one of the only times you can correctly claim entrapment.

fragmede · 2024-12-21T01:08:22 1734743302

So all Jessie Pinkman's got to do is ask the under cover police if it's okay to sell them meth and then they can't be arrested for it?

Entrapment is reserved for the police going above and beyond, eg "sell me meth or I'll kill your dog" where it can be argued that the entrapped normally would not do the crime.

wat10000 · 2024-12-21T01:35:06 1734744906

Apparently there is “entrapment by estoppel” in which a government official tells you an act is legal when it isn’t. They have to be acting as a representative of the government, though; undercover cops wouldn’t count.

I still wouldn’t be very excited to try this defense in court.

Dylan16807 · 2024-12-22T04:57:29 1734843449

> So all Jessie Pinkman's got to do is ask the under cover police if it's okay to sell them meth and then they can't be arrested for it?

No, this is about on duty police in uniform saying it's okay.

fragmede · 2024-12-23T20:36:02 1734986162

Don't you know the other rule of drug dealing? If you ask an undercover cop if they're an undercover cop, they have to tell you the truth? it's against the rules for them to lie about it.

neilv · 2024-12-20T19:09:40 1734721780

That's a reasonable suspicion (though I think a lot of the contrarian comments are just people who want to complain about the police).

Working with that suspicion, especially given that this is HN, police saying "don't go steal it back" might still be very good advice, regardless of legal right.

For example (referring back to a scenario earlier in thread), I'm imagining a techbro crew, all jumping into one of their Teslas, and rolling up on misguided urban youth turf.

There's already a lot of misunderstanding and animosity, both ways, between stereotypes. And someone's attempt at "show of force" just escalated it. So, who will escalate the stupid further, and stab or draw a gun first.

outworlder · 2024-12-20T01:55:31 1734659731

They aren't even required to know the law.