How To Stay Out of Trouble With the Cops
How To Stay Out of Trouble With the Cops
I’ve got a lot of experience dealing with cops. And no, it’s not because I’m a criminal. I’m a DUI lawyer. That means every day I meet people who have unwittingly handed over the keys to their freedom to a police officer who is hell bent on taking it away.
But I’m here today to tell you it doesn’t have to be like that. You can stay out of trouble, both when you shouldn’t be in trouble and, probably, when you should. And you can do that by following a few simple rules. Now, these rules won’t make you friends with the cops, but they will probably keep you out of trouble in the long run.
First, don’t talk to the cops. Period. Just don’t talk to them. Typically talking to cops starts out in one of two ways, either you don’t think you did anything wrong or you did and you think you can talk your way out of it. Either way, you should just shut your mouth. Why? Ever hear the cops read you your rights? “Anything you say can and will be used against you.” What they are politely trying to say is they have the authority to twist your words any way they want. The only way to avoid this is by giving them no words.
Second, ask for a criminal attorney as soon as possible. Even if you think things are fine. Cops hate criminal attorneys because they tell their clients what to do to stay out of trouble. Want to stay out of trouble? Talk to a lawyer as soon as possible.
Third, and finally, never consent to a search of your vehicle. And yes, I said never, like even if you don’t have anything illegal inside. Why should you do this? Two reasons. First, you don’t know for sure what’s in your car. Things do get dropped eventually, and a cop is not the person you want finding anything. And second, it’s your constitutional right to be free from searches and seizures. You have the power to exercise that right, and you should. Make the cops get a warrant.
Follow those three rules and you should be able to navigate your way through a police stop without any long term repercussions. Oh, and if you don’t break the law, that will help too.
