re: #111 DangerMan

All of the stupid hearsay arguments don’t even apply to formal criminal investigations.

If I’m in the county seat, and I hear someone tell me they overheard a different group of people talking about knocking over the bank (and gave descriptions of the people—maybe even I know them from the descriptions, a description of the proposed getaway pickup or SUV, &c), and I reported it to the sheriff, he would at least look into it.

If that results in the sheriff uncovering an actual plot to knock over the bank, he’s going to arrest them. The evidence of the plot was obtained lawfully, and would hold up in court.

The Federal Rules of Evidence (what’s admissible in a court proceeding) also has a whole slew of exceptions to “no hearsay evidence.”

Article VIII Rule 804