Your Ft Lauderdale Criminal Defense Lawyer and what to do when you have been arrested. When you're stopped by the police, you run the risk of being arrested or hurt, or both. Most officers will not act improperly, but whether they act properly or not you still need to protect your rights and keep yourself safe. As A criminal defense lawyer I would say this is smart advice so far. Of course , you should contact a good criminal defense lawyer immediately. Playing tough guy will never work to your benefit. Stay calm and be aware of your words, body language, and emotions. Good advise again. The calmer you are, the more the chances the officer may not go ahead with the arrest unless they have a good reason. You certainly do not want a resisting arrest charge and you will always look better on a cooperative police report. Remember the police report is just the beginning. Your bond has to be set and the state attorney will decide whether or not to press charges. Give your criminal defense lawyer help by looking like a steadfast citizen at the arrest. This is always a better bargaining tool. Do not run or walk away. Keep your hands where police can see them. Don't put them in your pockets. (Don't make the police nervous by wondering if you have a weapon.) Don't make any sudden movements. Never touch a police officer. Very good advice. No need to incite or appear like you are becoming violent. The better you look the easier to is to start the bargaining on your behalf. Get a Ft Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer right away. Be polite and respectful. The police officer is in charge now. Do not give them any reason to over react. And again a mild police report is better then one full of violence. And once again get a criminal defense lawyer. Remember, a full line of people are going to be reading that police report from the Bondsman, to the state attorney to the judge, if it gets that far. A bond will be set and you do not want to look like a threat. Give your name and address only if you're asked to, but remember you don't need to say anything more. (The caveat is that if the police are annoyed by your refusal to say more, they may take you to the station out of spite.) Remember, anything you say or do can be used against you later. Your rights come first. Contact a good criminal defense lawyer asap. If you have a cell phone ask to call your lawyer. You can put your lawyer on the phone to talk to the officer. However this can only happen if the setting is calm and you do not look like a threat. To search you or your vehicle the police must have a warrant, or have arrested you, or have probable cause that you committed a crime. If the police lack these they may ask you for permission to search. If you GIVE them permission, then you can't argue later in court that they performed an illegal search. Again contact a criminal defense lawyer on the spot if you can. Be careful but protect your rights. Try to remember the officers' physical descriptions. Try to memorize badge numbers, names, license plate numbers, and police car numbers. Once the police stop questioning you, write all this down as soon as you are able. Another good piece of advise but, not as good as call a criminal defense lawyer right away Ask bystanders to stand at a discreet distance and observe. The police are less likely to do something wrong if there are people watching. People have a right to stand at a reasonable distance and observe as long as they do not interfere. (The police may consider that bystanders repeatedly asking them questions constitutes "interference".) Get the names and phone numbers of the witnesses afterward in case you need them in the future. If you are being abused, don't resist. Once multiple officers start hurting you, you can't stop them by resisting, and struggling may only encourage them. Think of a cat playing with a mouse — while the mouse is struggling, the cat is excited, but when the mouse stops moving, the cat loses interest. In some cases, the police may continue to abuse you even if you don't struggle, but since struggling can't help you, it's best not to try. Again you do not need a resisting arrest charge or an excuse for the officer to feel like he has to protect himself. And most importantly get a Criminal defense lawyer right away. This is the best advice on this page. call the law office of Guy Seligman right away. We are here to help 24/7.
