Should I Talk?

The simple answer is “Do not talk to the police.”  You must understand that if the police leave a note on your door, with your mother or message your voicemail they are not interested in small talk.  The police are interested in arresting you.  In most cases by the time the police have made it known to your family, your work, or you personally that they want to speak to you they have already decided to arrest you.  You will not be able to talk your way out of an arrest.  The decision to arrest you has already been made once the police make it publically known that they ‘want to speak with you.’  You should retain a lawyer immediately.  Police are trained to lie to you regarding evidence they claim to have on you.  The US Supreme Court has ruled that the police can lie to a suspect about the facts of an investigation.  The police can and often times will lie to a suspect, especially if it helps the police make an arrest.  The police will mislead you into believing you have no option but to ‘cooperate’ so you erroneously think the police will ‘go easy’ on you.  The best defense against this deceitful and manipulative police tactic is to refuse to say anything except, “I want my lawyer.”  Police are well aware that no one wants to be arrested.  The police are aware that people will do just about anything to avoid an arrest.  People think if they can discuss their side with the police that the police will believe them and the police go away.  This is nonsense.  The police will take advantage of your nervousness and your ignorance of the investigation.  They will mislead you into making statements that will later be used against you.  The best action you can take when the police are looking for you is to contact a lawyer immediately.  The lawyer can assert your rights, contact the police and discuss options to keep you out of jail.  A criminal lawyer can often determine whether the police plan to charge you with a crime or whether you are a witness to a case.  A criminal lawyer can help change an arrest warrant into a criminal summons.  You must be careful in thinking that you are not a suspect to a crime because your only involvement was ‘you were there.’  The police may characterize your presence at the crime scene as being an accomplice.