Protect Your Right During Arrest - hands with handcuffs lying on top of fingerprint sheets.

Protect Your Right During Arrest

Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you are arrested, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to remain quiet until you get representation from a lawyer. If there is anything you remember from this article, it’s that you should stay silent and to never forget that you have a right to obtain an attorney. However, these rights only protect you if you actually utilize them. So if you’re arrested, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is stay quiet until you have your lawyer sitting next to you.

When a person is arrested, this means a police officer has taken them into custody and only do so when they suspect them of a crime. An arrest begins when a person is stopped due to suspicion of committing a crime, and that person is not free to leave the interaction with the officer. There are instances when an officer may come up to someone and start asking questions, but that does not mean they are under arrest. If an officer ever does approach and begins asking questions, ask them if you are under arrest, or just being questioned and are free to leave. If you are not free to leave, the chances are the officer will be placing you under arrest for suspicion of one crime or another.

An officer will only arrest a person if they have reasonable cause to suspect that someone has committed a crime. As your criminal defense lawyer residents trust from Law Group of Iowa canattest, an officer cannot just arrest anybody based on a gut feeling, as they must have reasonable suspicions that would cause them to arrest a person. An officer may have seen the person commit a crime, or perhaps a judge had issued an arrest warrant that had been supported by probable cause. 

In most cases, a person does not have the right to resist an arrest. Someone who uses force against an officer while they are attempting to arrest them may be charged with resisting arrest or committing battery on an officer. That person may end up with serious injuries, and more severe criminal charges than if they had just been cooperative during the arrest. But tragically, we’ve all seen stories in the news about people who were cooperative with law enforcement and ended up being severely hurt or killed. The advice provided here is applicable in general terms. If you or someone you care about was seriously injured or lost their life by police, then it is prudent to obtain representation from a legal team so they can intervene and hold the offending officer accountable. 

Being arrested is not an easy thing to go through. There are many emotions to be had, and worries about the future. An arrest can affect someone’s job opportunities, places to live, reputation among friends and family, and more. For protection after an arrest, remain silent, don’t answer interrogatory questions from law enforcement, and be sure to ask for your right to get a lawyer immediately. 

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