We all know our legal rights … or … wait. Do we? Actually, the unfortunate fact is that most of us don’t know our rights. The woman on COPS who screams “I know my rights!” when a cop pulls her over usually proves my point because she is being put on national television for doing something stupid (and illegal). People who know their rights are more confident. They don’t have to say it, they show it by saying things like “I don’t consent to searches” or “Are you detaining me now or am I free to go?.”

Flexing your rights, however, can quickly annoy police officers who are already an edgy group because of the dangers and stresses of their line of work. These videos (especially the third one) show that police will often lie to intimidate you to get you to comply with their orders even when you have the right to refuse them. The first two videos are from FlexYourRights.org (a marketing idea to educate people on their rights). The second pair of videos are real life examples of citizens successfully flexing their rights. For more educational videos on how to both know and flex your rights, go to Flex Your Rights.org

Flex Your Rights :: The Right to Refuse Searches

Flex Your Rights :: Police Tactic of Compound Questions

Citizen Standing up Calmly For His Rights

Citizens Making a Statement About Their Rights