Resuming Your Rights During an Arrest: What You Should Know (Pt. 1), here, we will continue to present some important information regarding what you need to know regarding your rights when interacting with police.
More Things You Can Do to Protect Your Rights During an Arrest
Staying silent and requesting an attorney are two of your rights you should exercise when dealing with cops. You can also call us for the best defense.
Some more things that you can do to protect your rights during an arrest include:
- Not answering police officers’ questions regarding your goings on – If police start asking you (even informally) about what you’ve been doing or what you may know about a given situation, simply respond politely by, for instance, saying “I cannot answer that,” “I don’t know,” or simply “No comment.”You never know how the information you provide to police may be used against you, so don’t give them the opportunity to assemble more evidence against you.
- Not believing that cops are telling you the truth – One of the various strategies law enforcement officials may try to use to compel people to start talking about a crime (or an alleged crime) is to manipulate them with information.For example, police may try to tell you when you are in an interrogation room that they found certain evidence against you or that some witness against you has come forward. This can legitimately make you nervous and make you feel like you have tell cops everything.So, do your best to not fall into this trap. Don’t assume that what police are telling you is the truth. Instead, continue to assert your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and avoid opening up a conversation that could not end well for you.
- Exercising your right to an attorney – This is perhaps the most important right to know when deal with police. If you are starting to be questioned about an alleged crime, the best step you can take to defend yourself and protect your rights is to immediately ask for an attorney.In fact, the minute you even utter the word lawyer or attorney, law enforcement officials are legally required to stop questioning you and let you call an attorney. If police violate this rule and continue to press with you with questions about a crime, anything that you say after requesting a lawyer can be thrown out of court and may not be used against you as evidence – even if you end up confessing to some crime.Additionally, having an attorney on your side can be critical to ensuring that:
- Your rights are protected after an interrogation.
- You have the best opportunities to get out of custody as soon as possible if you do end up being arrested.
- You will have a formidable defense later if you do end up being charged with a crime.
We will wrap up our discussion of what people should know about their rights in the conclusion to this blog series that will be posted soon. Be sure to check it out!
Montgomery and Birmingham Criminal Defense Attorneys at Joe Reed & Associates, LLC
Have you or someone love you recently been arrested and accused of a crime? If so, you can count on the Montgomery and Birmingham criminal defense lawyers at Joe Reed & Associates, LLC to be aggressive advocates for your rights.
To discuss your case and your best options for your defense, call us at 334-834-2000, or email us using the contact form at the top of this page. Initial consultations are free in most cases, and evening and weekend appointments are available for your convenience.