yeah you have to say it ... your silence CAN be used against you. What? See the comic Law book. It does a better job than I could ever do.
I believe SCOTUS ruled recently that a jury can be told that a defendant refused to cooperate and that such information can be used by a jury to form their opinions about the defendants culpability.
Not a good thing in my opinion.
...Use the "go back" arrow at the bottom of the page to see the complete story re: non-custodial interrogation.
I'd say sorry... my bad, but I'll plead the 5th instead
The most emphatic, frequently given and most frequently given advice given by criminal defense attorneys: "Shut the fuck up!" It's not impossible that what you might say to cops won't hurt you but that would be very rare occasion indeed. Remaining silent doesn't mean you're not going give your side, you just want to do it in the right time and place, most importantly making sure that any statement is properly recorded so there's no question about it and you've got a competent lawyer sitting next to you. (The attached link is the source of the quote above, some great standup!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pTlCtUMvjs