Many people in law enforcement do a fantastic job of keeping citizens safe, patrolling the streets and even performing those heroic deeds that sometimes go viral. But it’s also important to remember that police officers are armed, are human and sometimes things do go wrong. When mishaps between a police officer and a citizen occur, innocent people may be injured at the hands of those very individuals tasked with guarding public safety.
If you become the victim of an overly aggressive member of the law enforcement community, it’s very important you retain an attorney as soon as possible. Your rights may have been violated if the police officer went too far in attempting to restrain what he considered a distraught citizen. Commit the interaction to memory as soon as it happens, so you can give a cogent account to your attorney later.
If a member of law enforcement stops you on the street and asks you a question, it may seem like the start of a casual conversation, but that can quickly turn into an aggressive interrogation session. Exercise extreme caution in such circumstances.
Should an officer attempt to keep you from leaving the scene, you can pretty much assume at that point he considers you a suspect.
While many communities have worked hard to put a human face onto law enforcement, never assume that a verbal exchange with a law enforcement official is merely casual conversation. Always be on your guard when speaking to a member of the law enforcement community. Do be polite, but also be discreet. And if the line of questioning begins to make you uncomfortable, tell the officer you want to speak to your attorney right away. Once you say those words, don’t say anything else until your attorney is present.
If you don’t already have a relationship with a personal attorney, there’s no better time than now to start one.