A:

A well-trained officer may be unlikely to make an illegal order but officers must make decisions in the heat of the moment, and under a great deal of stress and may issue instructions that listeners do not believe to be legal.

* Even if you are legally and constitutionally allowed to be doing what the officer has asked you to stop doing, if you do not follow the officer’s instructions you may still be arrested.

* The best way to preserve the issue for the courts is to politely and consistently assert your rights (ask if you are free to leave, exercise your right to remain silent, and do not consent to a search of your person or things).

* Resist the urge to do things that may escalate the situation (don’t run, don’t physically resist, follow all police instructions, keep your hands visible to officers, don’t argue with police about the rights violation, and don’t provide false identification or information).

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