You & The Police by Boston T. Party is an important book in that is provides an easy reference to our constitutional rights when dealing with police and other law enforcement officials. I agree with the book’s tag line that, “if you don’t know your rights, you have none.” You do not have to share Boston’s political views and opinions of the government and law enforcement to gain valuable knowledge from this book, and it is knowledge that I believe everyone should be familiar with. In fact, I was discussing this book with a friend of mine who is a Federal Law Enforcement Agent, and he was all in favor of books such as this too. He agreed that people need to know their rights, and had no problem with books and videos that provide accurate and honest descriptions of those rights and the laws that go with them. This book, while obviously leaning toward Boston’s political views, does provide an accurate and honest description of individual rights when it comes to dealing with police.

As someone who prosecuted a while, and who also has a number of friends in various law enforcement positions, I’m not as anti-police and government as Boston. However, he brings up a lot of good points, and things that make me want to ensure I keep my eyes open. I don’t agree with all of his positions, but that’s okay, I respect them, and they do make me think. That’s a good thing. Additionally, Boston wrote this book for law abiding citizens who may encounter the police, not for criminals trying to get over on the system. I agree that law abiding citizens need to know their rights. I also acknowledge that some people will disagree with certain victimless crimes/laws like speed limits, and that is okay too.

The bulk of this book is about just what the title says, dealing with the police. It starts out with a short introduction about you and the law, and then describes three kinds of cops Boston says you might encounter. From there, the book discusses preparing beforehand for a possible stop. Preparing your person, and your car. Chapter five is important and the topic is “Never Consent.” Next, the book describes the differences between and your rights for each regarding a contact, detention, or arrest and what search & seizure means and your rights regarding it. Chapter ten looks at after the arrest and interrogations. The next chapters cover special areas such as at the airport, at the checkpoint, when red lights are flashing, traffic tickets, and your home, job, and the police. All of these chapters offer sound practical advice regarding what you should do if you find yourself in such a situation. The best advice in the book is to keep your mouth shut from the start. However, the book does provide some suggested things to say, politely, to ensure you are not consenting and demanding your attorney.

The final two chapters, 16 & 17, are bonus chapters from other sources. Chapter 16 is titled “You and Your Guns.” If you are a gun owner, interested in gun rights, or frequent gun shows, this chapter will interest you. The first part of the chapter is more general on gun rights and laws, and not so much about you and the police. However, the latter part of the chapter reiterates some of the basics of dealing with police when dealing with BATFE agents. It was on page 16/22 that my suspicions were confirmed that the chapter came from something else Boston wrote when there was a note to please read You & The Police for more information. Chapter 17, “Our Dwindling Rights,” states at the beginning that it is from his book “Hologram of Liberty.” So again, these last two chapters are just bonus chapters, so enjoy them, I did. Like I said above, even if I don’t agree with everything, I’m keeping my eyes open a bit wider.

Overall, You & The Police is a pretty quick course on your rights when dealing with law enforcement. The 2009 version has many updates, so be sure to get the newest and most up to date information. It is full of a lot of references for the person who wants to delve deeper into the topic, and it provides a lot of useful and practical advice that every citizen of the U.S. should at least be familiar with. Read this book to better know your rights.