Customer Reviews

You & the Police!

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a peace officer I found "You & The Police!" really
fun to read. Not only was it informative but Boston
also writes in a humorous style that makes amusing the
usually dry subject of constitutional laws regarding
police behavior!

Citizens should read this book to understand fully
what their rights are and how police think. From an
officer's perspective a citizen having this knowledge
is not a bad thing. It just requires us to do our job
correctly.

Peace officers should read the book to understand how
a number of citizens like the author (and myself)
think. Most citizens are not carrying drugs or
weapons in order to commit crimes. But they don't
want to be insulted by having themselves, their homes,
or their cars searched in order to prove this to the
government. Refusing to allow a search is not an
indication of guilt. Officers need to place
themselves, as Boston points out, in the situation
where a group of citizens arrive at his door step

demanding to search his home for drugs and illegal
weapons in order to guarantee that the officer is not
some corrupt cop--all, of course, in the name of
public safety!

The main theme of the book is to learn how to deal
with the police on an equal level of civility, not
subservience. This is the American way.

"Bulletproof Privacy" is another interesting book by
the same author. In the book I found out some tricks
that a real criminal I am looking for is using to try
and hide his new address. Thanks Boston!

By Sheriff Bill Masters
San Miguel County (Telluride), Colorado

This book isn't complete in its study of law because it is subject to constant revision. Yet I can't think of an easier book to study concerning your rights when around the police. Usually there isn't a better way to find out about the 'meat' of a book without going through the Table of Contents. I'll do this to give the rest of ya'll a precise look at it with a few of my own comments in parentheses.

Preface:
1. You & The Law

mala in se crimes vs mala prohibita "crimes" (Mala in se crimes are evil in themselves like murder, rape, theft while mala prohibitum are laws that restrict our freedoms [ex. you can't whistle on a sidewalk in Virgina on Tuesdays or have a kind of gun with too short a barrel] or make some actions mandatory with punitive results if not followed [ex. failure to get a permit for whatever the state says to])
THE GOAL OF POLITICAL LAW
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
WHAT MAKES ME AN "EXPERT?"

2. The Cop

THE THREE KINDS OF COPS (Peace Officer--great men and women, Intimidating Cop--can be common, Rogue Cop--generally, only the courtroom can help you here)
WINNING AGAINST AN INTIMIDATING COP
The Intimidating Cop's weaknesses
The Intimidating Cop's fears

3. Preparing Your Person

4. Before Getting In Your Car
Car preparations to make in advance (separate key for trunk to avoid a search without probable cause, keeping car clean and uncluttered, have a digital voice recorder)
Some final thoughts on preparation

5. NEVER Consent!

6. The Contact

THE CONTACT/ENCOUNTER
Legal basis for the contact/encounter
Your rights during a contact
The cop's powers during a contact
The realities during a contact
Practical tips during a contact

7. The Detention
Legal basis for detentions
The cop's power during..
Your rights during..
The roadblock detention
Practical tips

8. Search & Seizure

SEARCHES WHICH AREN'T REALLY SEARCHES
Abandoned Property (garbage, junker car)
Open Fields
"Plain View"
Aerial Surveillance (flyover of personal property, fully legal)
"sense-enhancing technology" (infra-red devices, etc.)
Controlled Deliveries
Private Searches (know the people you let near your stuff)
Impound and Post-Arrest Inventories
SEARCHES WITHOUT A WARRANT
Emergencies
Hot Pursuit
Search Incident to Lawful Arrest
Automobile Searches
Consent
Administrative Searches
Probation and Parole Searches
SEARCHES NEEDING A WARRANT
Probable Cause
Constitutional Requirements
Oral Application for Search Warrants
USA P.A.T.R.I.O.T. ACT "sneak and peek"

9. The Arrest

Legal basis for arrest/custody
The cop's powers during arrest
Your rights during arrest
PRACTICAL TIPS DURING ARREST
The "search incident to lawful arrest"
The "inventory search"
SEARCH OF CAR (Matix Guide)
SIEZURE OF OCCUPANTS (Matrix Guide)

10. After the Arrest: Interrogation, etc.

After the arrest, while being held
THE INTERROGATION
Miranda a weak friend, getting weaker
Techniques of applying pressure (rapport, conditioning, repetition, verbal tricks)
Bluff and Deceptive Tactics (Lying)
The Covert Interrogation (phony friends, cellmates, etc)
COPING WITH THE SQUEEZE
How Well Can You Resist?
Avoiding Emotional Isolation
Cooperation
Presenting a Credible Front (eye contact, body language, etc)
Tactical Resistance
Exploiting Interrogator's Mistakes
SOME FINAL TIPS

11. At The Airport
"Airport Security" (steel door on a grass hut)
THE DRUG COURIER "PROFILE"
When returning home from abroad
THE TERRORIST PROFILE
TSA "WATCH LIST"

12. At The Checkpoint
Beware the Federal Areas

13. Red Lights Are Flashing

"NO, YOU'RE NOT FREE TO GO"
"Would you mind if I searched your...?"

14. Traffic Tickets

15. Your Home, Job & The Police

YOUR "REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY"
"KNOCK, KNOCK,--POLICE!"
HOW TO ARREST IN A HOUSE
Suspect's House
Third Party's House
WHEN THEY HAVE A WARRANT
Search Warrant only
Arrest Warrant only
Both Search and Arrest Warrants
No-Knock Warrants
AH, SWEET PRIVACY

16. You & Your Guns

THE 2nd AMENDMENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT
NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT of 1934
GUN CONTROL ACT of 1968
18 USC s922(d) "prohibited possesors"
THE BRADY BILL
LAWS ON "ASSAULT WEAPONS"
"GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONES"
The "Self-defense Free Zones"
SO, WHAT RIGHTS ARE LEFT?
HOW THE BATFE OPERATES
DO NOT BUY/SELL OUT-OF-STATE
If questioned for transacting out-of-state
AVOID ENTRAPMENT
BUSTING THE SELLER
BUSTING THE BUYER
BUSTING THE OWNER
IF EVER QUESTIONED
WHAT ABOUT OUR SUPREME COURT VICTORIES?

17. Our Dwindling Rights

OUR BILL OF RIGHTS
JUDICIAL TYRANNY
CONGRESSIONAL TYRANNY
House Resolution 666 (Exclusionary Rule Reform Act of 1995)
EXECUTIVE ORDERS/MARTIAL LAW
USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001
AMERICA'S FUTURE

As can be viewed from this table, there is a lot in this book that Joe Average hasn't a clue about. I thought I knew enough to 'get by' on any contact with police but I learned there is much more than saying, "Yes sir, no sir," to it. This book rivals Boston's Gun Bible for practicality, usefulness, and information. I recommend it to everyone who wishes to exercise their rights during any contact with a police officer. I have already benefitted from this sage advice but I choose to keep that information private.

BTW-- if any readers are interested in what the author is up to lately, he's founded an organization, Free State Wyoming to put into action the dreams of many Americans to enjoy greater freedom from unnecessary regulation and intimidating cops. :)
Have fun reading this!

Until I'd read You & The Police!, I had no idea how little I knew about my rights. Have already used this book's info during a traffic stop with a snoopy police officer who (without any reason) wanted to search my trunk. I asked what he was searching for, and he got all flustered without answering. (You should have seen his face!) He then said in a stern voice, "So, you're refusing consent of a search?" and I replied, "That's right, I am. There's nothing in my car to interest the police. Can I go now?" He stomped off to his unit, muttering for me to keep my speed down, and drove off! He didn't even ticket me! I'd say this book has already paid for itself. Don't leave home without it!

This NEW AND UPDATED IN 2005 book is a MUST READ resource for every citizen of the USA. tells in detail how and when to deal with the police, how to avoid common pitfalls and what your rights are concerning traffic stops and other police encounters (never a pleasant experience). You may be one of the fortunate few who live in an area where the cops actually respect your rights and "protect and serve", but most likely the police in your area are only revenue collectors for the state or city and "harass and annoy" the public. In either case this book should be in your library and READ at least once!! Heck for this price what have you got to lose. I learned more in a couple of hours than i did in my high school civics class!!

40 years of "Officer Friendly" propaganda have left most Americans unsure, at best, of how to conduct themselves in a police-citizen encounter. Were we still living in a limited-government-power world, that might be OK. But that world is gone, at least for now, and the police now hold most of the cards.

The 2005 version of Boston's book helps to correct that imbalance. Clearly written, it takes readers through the "why" and "how" of police encounters, with a relentless focus on the essential point -- the police in such a situation are NOT your friend, and will use ANYTHING that you do or say to effect an arrest.

As a former NYC narcotics prosecutor with more than 500 police stops and arrests under my belt, I'd recommend this book to anyone who believes that an informed citizen is Liberty's best friend. You NEED this book -- especially if you don't think that you do.

I own both the original version of this book as well as the 2005 updated version. Make sure you get the latest version for all the latest info.

This is a must-read book. It helps the average law abiding citizen to understand exactly what his rights and options are when you come into contact with the police, whether it be in your home, on foot, in the car, or at the airport.

How can you protect & utilize your rights if you don't know what they are?

I have put into place several of the author's suggestions whenever I travel by car: always check your lights before a trip, remove anything that could be considered to block your view, keep all personal papers out of the car, keep a digital voice recorder at the ready in case of a traffic stop (I just used this on the last trip), don't allow a cop to follow you (pull into any place of business ASAP), NEVER, NEVER, consent to being searched, and don't start gabbing with the officer like an old friend: he is NOT your friend in this situation.

In short, keep any contact with the police courteous but short and to the point. Don't volunteer information. Ask if you're being arrested and then ask if you're being detained. If not, then you're free to go. At that point, go!

This book is well worth the time to read it. I highly recommend it.

What can I say, I love this little book. I have seen dozens of little leaflets put out by attorneys about your rights during an arrest, etc., but no one comes close to addressing the myriad of ways that the average American citizen can cross swords with the Police. The author does not come at the police like a hostile hot head, but in the tradition of Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid "Daniel san, best way avoid punch . . no be there first place" this book sets you up,

FIRST, to be in the position where you are likely to avoid contact with the police in the first place. Some of the tips are obvious, like 'dont leave the Uzi and the Gorilla Bong on the back seat', some of the tips are not obvious, like 'removing nomenclature from an auto to make it look generic'.

SECOND, you have been approached by the police, now Boston puts you in the position to best end the encounter and get out of there before something is cooked up against you.

THIRD, you are being detained, now Boston starts the clock and has various other tips and things to say at this juncture.

FOURTH, there are taking you in. Boston addresses cop interrogation tricks and the like in great detail.

He addresses police contacts in airports, on foot, and as 90% of your contacts are likely to happen while driving, most of the book concerns drive-time action. There is no book so concisely written that addresses the legalities of so many potential interactions with the oinkers.

What the book does not have, is a detailed list of dirty cop tricks. While a couple of nasty tricks are given play by play attention by Boston, the full range of beating, 'hard way home', evidence planting, back shooting, cop tricks are not addressed. BUT, the reading and knowledge in this book will place you head and shoulders above 90% of the population, and perhaps even some attorneys!

This book should be mandatory reading for every US citizen.

Well written, informative, and extremely interesting, this book plainly explains what none of us should need to be told yet all of us do. Look at it this way: cops are trained in ways to get you to hamstring yourself or to make you feel so guilty if you don't at first that you eventually will. Well, look at this book as a free citizen's guide on how to NOT cut his own throat. Instead of sitting there bobbing your head up and down in defeat next time you encounter a law enforcement officer in a situation adverse to your well-being, this book will give you the confidence to present yourself as your forefathers fully intended, as an independent being with certain absolute rights.

I noticed several reviewers making reference that this book "needs to be updated", yet I can not readily agree with that. This book is not designed to give specific up-to-date case law for every state, simply because that would be impossible to do, and irresponsible to lay claim to. It will, however, explain how to handle yourself in the presence of law enforcement from contact to closure, and it is invaluable in that respect.

The funny thing is that if 100 people read this book and all decide at that point that they intend to use the information next time the situation presents itself, I would wager that at least 30 will still fall for the "Well, if you don't have anything in your vehicle that you shouldn't have, you shouldn't mind if I search it". But, I guarantee that without this book, that number would be more like 95.

This isn't a book for lawbreakers, outlaws and street trash. THEY already know their rights. It's for you, John and Jane Q. Public....you need this way more than you can possibly imagine!

Short of someone expecting a magical compendium of current case law and legal minutia for their particular jurisdiction, there is no way that anyone could read this book and honestly tell me that they did not benefit tremendously from it....period.

The revised/updated book by Mr Royce," You and the Police" is an absolute must read. In no uncertain terms he tells you how to stand your ground constitutionally when dealing with LEO's. I am sending a copy to each of my children and to my brother. My wife needs to read this too. I'll keep my copy next to my first aid kit in my car!

I have both the original, and the updated and expanded 2005 edition. These books are both extremely useful (yes, keeping yourself out of jail is useful) and quite readable, a wonderful combination. I still don't know if I could properly handle all situations, because there is a lot to know; but getting down some basic tactics, aquiring the right mind-set, and knowing who you are dealing with, will go a long way. And this book will be tremendous help in that respect.

I'm tempted to leave this sitting on my dashboard, so that when a cop starts giving me grief I can just say, "Hold on for a minute please, I want to refer to my Constitutional reference here." Wonder what would happen...

BTW, if anyone gets their hand on a book that has printer defects, it's easy enough to contact the author (e.g., through his web site) to get a free replacement. Almost any author would do that, I imagine.