Section I: Police Questioning of People Who Haven’t Been Taken Into Custody

　　This section deals with police attempts to question you in situations where you have not yet been placed in custody. These commonly include:

　　· on-the-street, in-your-face questioning

　　· car stops for traffic violations

　　· investigatory visits to homes or offices, and

　　· telephone conversations.

　　（See Section II for police questioning after you have been taken into custody.）

　　1. Am I Legally Obligated to Answer a Police Officer’s Questions?

　　No. Refusal to answer a police officer’s questions is not a crime. Of course, people often do voluntarily assist the police by supplying information that might help the police make an arrest. But the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the "right of silence." A police officer generally cannot arrest a person simply for failure to respond to questions.

　　本节常用法律术语：

　　1、Custody 拘留，羁押

　　2、Legally 法律上

　　3、Fifth Amendment 美国宪法法第五修正案

　　4、Constitution 宪法

　　5、right of silence 沉默权