Your rights are the same in NYC as anywhere else. You can choose to waive these rights, which means that you give up your right to remain silent and agree to speak to the police without an attorney present."You have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Contrary to what many believe, you can be arrested, taken to jail, prosecuted, and even convicted without ever hearing a single word about your Miranda rights. Police only need to provide Miranda warnings in certain situations. Learn when Miranda rights are required and what happens if police don't follow the law. If the police fail to read you your rights and you do say something incriminating, that statement will likely be found to be inadmissible at trial. Police must read you your Miranda rights when arresting you or holding you for custodial interrogation (even if you haven't been charged). While Miranda warnings are extremely important, an officer's failure to read them in and of itself does not result in a dismissal of criminal charges.