5 Lies Police Officers Can Apparently Legally Tell You

Have you ever wondered if the sly tactics used by cops on TV shows like Law & Order or NCIS are actually legal IRL?

Turns out, many of them are totally legit lies that cops can use to their advantage.

Police officers are allowed to use several loopholes to get to the bottom of a crime, including creative ways to obtain a warrant, clever interview techniques and keeping their true identity under wraps in certain situations.

READ MORE: Why Do Police Officers Always Wear Sunglasses?

Many people have seen TV police officers like Law & Order: SVU's Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her right-hand man Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) use such tactics.

But cops around the country actually do use them in their day-to-day work.

Below, check out some lies that police officers are allowed to tell you.

Police Can Lie About Getting a Warrant

Police officers cannot lie about actually having a warrant, but they can technically use other means of deception to their benefit when it comes to getting a warrant.

According to the Joshi Law Firm in Florida, officers "must explain why they have reason to believe the requested search is likely to uncover evidence of some crime."

They explain that cops must present probable cause to justify the granting of a warrant, but sometimes the path to getting one isn't exactly straight and narrow.

The firm gave the example where "even in a case where 5 out of 6 statements made by a police officer in support of a search warrant were likely false, the warrant itself was still valid since at least 1 statement was enough to support a probable cause finding."

They report officers can also set up "controlled calls" and other investigative techniques to gain more information that they can then use as probable cause for a warrant.

Police Can Lie About an Accomplice Confessing

Just like you see on TV, cops can apparently lie about whether or not an accomplice has confessed during a suspect interview.

Macdowell Law Group confirm that police are allowed to use several lies to try and elicit a confession from suspects, including this one.

They can also tell you they have eyewitnesses, tell you that a victim identified you from a photo or warn you that you only have one last chance to tell your side of the story to potentially get a lighter punishment.

Police Can Lie About Having DNA Evidence

Police officers are reportedly allowed to completely fib about certain kinds of evidence.

They can tell you they have your DNA even if they don't, or even offer you a beverage in order to obtain your DNA, according to Macdowell Law Group.

They can also use this tactic to make a suspect believe that they have hard DNA evidence that will make a case open and shut so that the suspect is more likely to confess.

Sometimes, however, his tactic backfires, per the Sanders Firm of Arkansas, as this can also lead to false confessions.

Police Can Lie About Being a Police Officer

Cops can reportedly lie about being a police officer when undercover or dressed in plain clothes.

According to Baldani Law Group, cops' right to lie about their identity in certain situations is imperative to law enforcement operations.

"If, when asked, a police officer always had to tell you the truth, that he was indeed a police officer, the police would never arrest anyone," the law group writes.

"Plain-clothes law enforcement organizations like the FBI couldn’t even exist," they add.

However, officers walk a fine line between not blowing their cover and being involved in police entrapment, which is illegal.

Police Can Lie About a Conversation Being 'Off the Record'

This police lie is one that happens often and in many ways, according to Blass Law.

In particular, police officers can apparently tell you that your conversation is "off the record" when it's really not.

This is where the right to remain silent comes in handy.

"To encourage you to speak without your lawyer present, an officer may falsely claim you will not be recorded or be 'on record.' Remember, any time you are questioned, what you say can be used against you in court," Blass Law explains.