tesslynch: karion:

• On answering the “have you had anything to drink tonight?” It would be inappropriate for me to suggest anyone lie to a police officer, although lying to a police officer is not a crime in most states. That said, the laws generally prohibit “driving under the influence,” not “driving while intoxicated.” In most jurisdictions, this means the state need only prove you were influenced. Having a .08 is, in most jurisdictions, a legal standard for being under the influence, but I know several people who were successfully charged, despite only having a .06 (and even lower). By telling the police officer that (1) you have drank; (2) when you last drank; or (3) how much you drank is just handing the state evidence against you.

Even though it was prefaced as not being official legal advice, this is pretty much the gist of why I wrote my rant about Illinois’ new laws that go into effect at midnight and why I so adamantly believe my hometown needs to install dashboard cameras in police cruisers. Read the rest of Karion’s field guide.