The mantra of every dishonest cop throughout history. The only people who believe that innocent people have nothing to hide are people who have never had anything to do with a criminal investigation, and I pray that everyone reading these words may never be the subject of such an investigation. If you are, shut your mouth other than asserting your right to speak with an attorney. The State has the burden of proof. Make them feel every ounce of that burden with no help from you.
I have to quote the late, great Terry Pratchett again:
“Cheery was aware that Commander Vimes didn’t like the phrase ‘The innocent have nothing to fear’, believing the innocent had everything to fear, mostly from the guilty but in the longer term even more from those who say things like ‘The innocent have nothing to fear’.”
Pratchett had great effect in no small part because he came around to the right answers from the loooooooong way around. His definition of sin in Carpe Jugulum is on point:
There is a very interesting debate raging at the moment on the nature of sin. for example.” [Mightily Oats.]
“And what do they think? Against it, are they?” [Granny Weatherwax]
“It’s not as simple as that. It’s not a black and white issue. There are so many shades of gray.”
“Nope.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that–”
“No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.”
“Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes–”
“But they starts with thinking about people as things.”
—from Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett.
I have always told everyone that you only need to know four words when questioned by law enforcement: “I want a lawyer “.