Misconceptions about the Law - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 25)

Hi there, I'm Elliot Morgan, and this is Mental Floss on YouTube

Today I'm going to talk about some misconceptions about United States policies and laws

Misconception number one, undercover police officers must identify themselves if asked. For a long time, a rumor has persisted that if a prostitute or, like, another criminal

asks an undercover police officer, hey, are you a cop? Then that officer has to be honest

In fact, there's actually no law that states an undercover police officer must always tell the truth

People generally believe this because they think officers might be guilty of entrapment if they don't identify themselves

Entrapment, by the way, is when a law enforcement official gets someone to commit a crime that they probably wouldn't have done on their own

But police officers failing to identify themselves while undercover is not against the law

Misconception number two, you must wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report

No! This is a lie that you've probably heard on TV many, many times, and there's definitely no law or regulation supporting this

In fact, police stations like to know as soon as possible when someone has gone missing

especially if that someone is a minor. And even when they're not a minor. Like we find the adults too I guess Misconception number three you need someone permission to legally film them in public If you are on public property you have the right to photograph your surroundings including people thanks to the First Amendment

There are some exceptions, like the U.S. Department of Energy has the right to prevent you from photographing nuclear facilities

or if you're standing on public property but taking pictures of people on private property

which is called being a creeper. And photographs in places like bathrooms and doctor's offices can get you in trouble, too

Because why would you do that? Speaking of the First Amendment, misconception number four

The concept of free speech without consequences applies anywhere in the U.S

The First Amendment means that the government doesn't have the right to censor you

and even then, there are exceptions, like you're not supposed to yell fire in a crowded theater

But if you're at school or at work or on a website, the administrators of those places can regulate what you're allowed to say and do

And if you do those things anyway, the argument of free speech will probably not get you very far

I'm looking at you, YouTube comments. Yeah, I'm down there, waiting. Not really

For example, in 2007, there was a U.S. Supreme Court case in which a high school principal suspended a student who held up a banner across the street from the school that said

bong hits for Jesus. The student sued, claiming free speech, but the Supreme Court sided with the principal and against Jesus

That was a rough time in my life, but I don't regret anything. Misconception number five the Miranda rights are read to you when you arrested If you are arrested and I hope you not the police officer does not have to read the Miranda warning to you The Miranda warning by the way is the thing you hear police officers on TV say all the time

You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law, and so on

But in reality, an officer only needs to read those rights to a person who is arrested and is about to be questioned

Not every arrest requires that. Misconception number six, the drinking age is a federal law

Actually, each individual state requires you to be 21 to purchase alcohol

The 21st Amendment gave states the power to regulate alcohol, but states do get significant pressure from the federal government to uphold the standard drinking age

For example, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 subtracted 10% of highway funding from states that let people under the age of 21 drink alcohol

And it's like, what are they going to do, not get their highway funding? Come on. Alright, let's finish up with a few things that you might think are illegal, but they actually aren't

Misconception number seven. Drawing on a dollar bill is illegal. It's illegal to do things like mutilate, cut, and deface U.S. currency

but only if you're intending to render it unfit to be reused. So if you're destroying the money or trying to make it look like it's worth a higher value than it is

a.k.a. lying, you're in trouble. But you're not going to get arrested for doodling bong hits for Jesus on the side of a bill

That not a suggestion just an example Misconception number eight Driving barefoot is illegal It not illegal in any state although many recommend that you don do it anyway because the pedals can be slippery and you can get in trouble if being barefoot contributed to reckless or negligent driving

Misconception number nine, my favorite, counting cards in casinos is illegal. You can legally count cards while playing blackjack in any state

but most casinos will kick you out or even ban you for doing it

One exception is New Jersey, where the state's Supreme Court ruled in 1982

that casinos could not kick players out for being skilled or counting cards

So I guess we know where Ben Affleck is going on his next vacation, Jersey

Misconception number 10, flamethrowers are illegal. There is actually no federal law that regulates the ownership of a flamethrower

although it does vary from state to state. They're actually allowed in most states, but some place restrictions on it

like California, which requires a license. And if you have a flamethrowing license, please let me know

because you're the coolest person I've ever met. And even in California, where they don't care about anything

If you're caught with an unlicensed flamethrower, it is a misdemeanor with a maximum of one year in prison

Thank you so much for watching Misconceptions on Mental Floss on YouTube, which was made with the help of all of these wonderful people

If you have a topic for an upcoming Misconceptions episode that you would like to see, leave it in the comments and we'll check them out and I'll see you next week

Bye