If you are approached by the police for a possible arrest it can be nerve wrecking. You might worry how to respond and become scared that you will say the wrong thing, or do something that will hurt your case. Luckily, by preparing yourself before the incident happens you can know what to do if you are approached by a possible arrest. Here are some things you should know.
1. Always Ask if You Are Under Arrest
If the police come to your house and start to interrogate you, you should first ask them if you are under arrest. In some cases, they already have an arrest warrant they are simply trying to get more information from you. If you are not under arrest you don't have to talk to them. You can ask them to leave your property, and not worry about it anymore. However, if they do say that you are under arrest then you cannot ask them to leave. You will need to cooperate with what they need from you, but that doesn't mean that you have to give them all the information they need, which brings on the next tip.
2. You Don't Have To Answer Their Questions and Shouldn't Without A Lawyer Present
Next you should never answer the questions of the police without your lawyer present. Whether or not you are arrested you always have the right to remain silent. Many times the police will interrogate to get more information to charge you. This means that even if you have been arrested, you may not have been charged yet. They have a certain amount of time to gather information about you before they actually need to press charges. If they can't find enough evidence against you, they will have to let you go.
Many people make the mistake of talking to the police about the case and say things that are incriminating and it hurts them more. Even if you are innocent you shouldn't talk to the police without an attorney. For this reason, the moment you are arrested let them know that you will not be answering their questions. At this point, they should stop interrogating you and make sure you get to contact a lawyer. If they don't, they have violated your rights.
As you can see there are simple things that you can do to protect yourself. By preparing yourself before hand you can be ready if the situation arises that you are arrested.
For more information contact a firm like Alexander & Associates, P.C.
