Should You Ever Speak with a Police Officer?

No.  There never is a reason to have a conversation with a police officer, even if you have not committed a crime. 

For all practical purposes, nothing can be gained by an encounter with the police.  The best possible outcome of a police encounter is that you are no worse off than before; because you can never gain anything from it.  However, since police officers are trained to look for criminal activity, you could be far worse off. 

Everyone has heard that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  That is one way to describe the police.  I like to think of a police officer as a beaver always looking to build a dam.  Even if the beaver were on top of a skyscraper, they would be looking to find wood.

To a police officer, most everyone is a potential criminal. Police officers become so single-minded that they see criminal activity where it does not exist.  Before they know it, a person is being questioned about things they are unprepared to answer, and that same innocent person appears nervous or uneasy about questioning.  That sort of behavior causes the police officer to “affirm” his suspicions. 

I am not saying law enforcement officers are bad people, or they want to arrest innocent people.  However, I am saying there is no reason to allow a police officer ever to suspect you of anything.  If a police officer wants to speak to you, politely decline.  If the officer wants you to come to the police station to give a statement, hire an attorney immediately.  Never speak to the police for any reason.  Just don't do it.