In case you’re not aware, the 2024 Edition of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York book alone comprises 1162 pages. This is just one among many lawbooks, including penal law, criminal procedure, and ABC law, that police officers are expected to know. The sheer volume of thousands of pages filled with intricate laws is overwhelming and impractical for law enforcement. Yet, their job, and subsequently, your life, hinge on the knowledge within these pages. It’s not practical, and many might overlook the significance until they find themselves in the back of a police car due to officers’ unawareness of the laws they’re trying to enforce.
Most people believe they won’t encounter law enforcement, and while they may be right, the repercussions if they do far outweigh the chances of ever having such an encounter.
If we agree that it’s not practical for law enforcement to know every law, it’s fair to say the average citizen can’t be expected to be aware of these laws and the procedures either. So what’s the solution? Hiring someone to explain these laws is an option, but here lies the problem — they too are part of the system. Having blind faith in someone else, especially regarding your freedom, can have detrimental effects on your life. It’s not reasonable to believe that an officer, a citizen, or even a legal aide can possess knowledge of thousands of laws, and the same goes for the judges handling the cases.
This creates a systemic issue where the overwhelming workload of laws and procedural handling makes it unsafe for people to exist freely. So, what happens? Do police officers just do as they please? No. They deal with a consistent stream of common calls, becoming well-versed in the required laws and the wording necessary for reports. Complacency, coupled with the rarity of going to trial, allows officers to manipulate report wording or omit crucial information since most cases result in plea deals. Shockingly, as of 2019, 96% of felony convictions and 99% of misdemeanor convictions in New York State were the result of guilty pleas.
If we don’t expect the system or people to know all the laws, and police seldom expect cases to go to trial due to the high rate of plea deals, where is justice? What we have is ignorance until the day something happens to you, and a piece of paper alleges you violated one of those thousands of laws. Your life will change completely, and blind faith in the system won’t necessarily guarantee justice.
Join me on a journey where I share common techniques used every day against the people. I’ll guide you on how to handle yourself when in contact with the law, as it significantly impacts your chances of retaining your freedom. Learn that the ‘discretion’ officers have is more influential than you might think, and how you interact with them can determine your fate. My goal is to improve the odds for you and everyone else.
~ Ryder David
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