Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

First and foremost, you NEVER have to talk to the police. If you are suspected of a crime you should NOT talk to the police. Anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you. You do not have to answer there question and you should not answer them.

If you want to report a crime, on the other hand, you certainly may use sign language. The police are mandated by law to obtain a sign language interpreter for you.

If you are under investigation, your interpretation of "remaining silent" by using sign language instead of speaking aloud won't make your "statement" inadmissible. As long as they can get past the legality issues surrounding Miranda and lay an appropriate foundation to interpret your signing, your signed statement could be used against you. It would be no different than writing, but not vocalizing an incriminating statement.

Sure. You can play that game, but understand the risk of you committing 'contempt of cop'. You are required to provide ID upon request, and nothing else.

Whenever threatened, arrested or charged with any crime, �what can you do�? No amount of free 'tips and hints' from here or anywhere else are going to effectively help you in your defense, other than the advice [if not already too late] is to exercise the 5th Amendment RIGHT to SHUT UP and do NOT talk to police or ANYONE about the details of the case except through an attorney. That includes on this or any other web site or public forum. Most police and prosecutors will happily tell you that 95% of people convict themselves by trying to be 'helpful and cooperative', either during initial contact, questioning, interview or interrogation. Hire an attorney, unless you know how to effectively represent yourself in court against a professional prosecutor intending to convict. If serious about hiring counsel to help in this, and if this is in SoCal courts, feel free to contact me.

When police question somebody who cannot speak English (or at least who can't speak it well), they bring in an interpreter. There are plenty of sign-language interpreters available, since police often find themselves questioning people who are hearing-impaired.

You are only entitled to do this if sign language is your regular means of communication. If you can speak English or any other spoken language, that is how you should deal with the police. Playing games is likely to cause you a lot more trouble than it is worth.