johnelmore
New member
Ive had some personal experiences lately and the title of this post describes my exact thoughts on the matter. I dont want to get into any details, but the one sentence which describes my thoughts are "Do not trust the police." Keep in mind this is just my own personal experience and opinion on the matter based on a very few encounters. It should not be taken as expert advice, but if this was a Yelp review than the title of that review would be "Do not trust the police."
My personal opinion is that any encounter where you find yourself alone in a room with an officer should not take place without an attorney even if you believe you are totally right. Whether you are a witness, a victim of a crime or the one who did it, no interviews with the police should take place without an attorney. Lets say the officer wants you to make a written statement, a recorded statement, etc. about anything. Stop right there. Go get an attorney before any statements.
An attorney can be expensive. I would say it might cost you 1000 dollars for what seems like a simple matter. Believe me, that is a 1000 dollars well spent. Even though it seems like an attorney is not doing any work they are very experienced with the matters just like a surgeon. One wrong statement with the police could mean jail time for you. It could mean a permanent spot on the mugshots.com.
Which attorney? Honestly any attorney is better than none. The attorney right across from the police station or courthouse. There is Yelp and other review websites. I trust you would do your research in getting an attorney especially with the internet, but I personally would feel better with any attorney than none at all. Actually the attorneys who place themselves across from the courthouse probably have a lot of experience with their geography. I wouldnt mind walking into their office if thats what I had to do, but most likely I would look at reviews and other information on the internet first.
Here are some sample situations where I would get an attorney:
- I was the victim of a substantial crime and wanted to report it to the police.
- A detective calls me on the phone or shows up at my door asking questions.
- I am called as a witness in a major case.
- Any situation where you find yourself in a room alone with the police.
Do not consider my post here as expert advice. I am not an expert or a professional on these matters. Consider this post as a review and critique based on personal experiences. Tread carefully before you make that call or that visit to the police station. The only acceptable encounter with police in my mind is one with an attorney present.
Spending hundreds or thousands on an attorney might seem wasteful to the lay person, but after my experiences I would say its totally worth it to swipe that card and make payments over months if thats what you have to do.
Lets say you want to report something to the police but dont want to get an attorney. Why should you report it at all? If you dont want to spend the money or involve an attorney in the matter its probably not worth reporting in the first place. Quite honestly I would not report something to the police if I didnt feel like an attorney should be involved. Again just my non professional opinion and not expert advice.
Lastly, while some professionals might disagree with me on the matter keep in mind about the protesters outside some notable police departments. They are there for a reason and that reason is because they have reached my personal conclusion and that is...do not trust the police.
I know Ive made some posts in the past on this controversial issue, but I felt with my current experiences I needed to make this post. Thanks for taking my personal opinion into consideration on the matter. I hope I have been helpful on the matter and clearly its a topic that should be discussed and debated.
My personal opinion is that any encounter where you find yourself alone in a room with an officer should not take place without an attorney even if you believe you are totally right. Whether you are a witness, a victim of a crime or the one who did it, no interviews with the police should take place without an attorney. Lets say the officer wants you to make a written statement, a recorded statement, etc. about anything. Stop right there. Go get an attorney before any statements.
An attorney can be expensive. I would say it might cost you 1000 dollars for what seems like a simple matter. Believe me, that is a 1000 dollars well spent. Even though it seems like an attorney is not doing any work they are very experienced with the matters just like a surgeon. One wrong statement with the police could mean jail time for you. It could mean a permanent spot on the mugshots.com.
Which attorney? Honestly any attorney is better than none. The attorney right across from the police station or courthouse. There is Yelp and other review websites. I trust you would do your research in getting an attorney especially with the internet, but I personally would feel better with any attorney than none at all. Actually the attorneys who place themselves across from the courthouse probably have a lot of experience with their geography. I wouldnt mind walking into their office if thats what I had to do, but most likely I would look at reviews and other information on the internet first.
Here are some sample situations where I would get an attorney:
- I was the victim of a substantial crime and wanted to report it to the police.
- A detective calls me on the phone or shows up at my door asking questions.
- I am called as a witness in a major case.
- Any situation where you find yourself in a room alone with the police.
Do not consider my post here as expert advice. I am not an expert or a professional on these matters. Consider this post as a review and critique based on personal experiences. Tread carefully before you make that call or that visit to the police station. The only acceptable encounter with police in my mind is one with an attorney present.
Spending hundreds or thousands on an attorney might seem wasteful to the lay person, but after my experiences I would say its totally worth it to swipe that card and make payments over months if thats what you have to do.
Lets say you want to report something to the police but dont want to get an attorney. Why should you report it at all? If you dont want to spend the money or involve an attorney in the matter its probably not worth reporting in the first place. Quite honestly I would not report something to the police if I didnt feel like an attorney should be involved. Again just my non professional opinion and not expert advice.
Lastly, while some professionals might disagree with me on the matter keep in mind about the protesters outside some notable police departments. They are there for a reason and that reason is because they have reached my personal conclusion and that is...do not trust the police.
I know Ive made some posts in the past on this controversial issue, but I felt with my current experiences I needed to make this post. Thanks for taking my personal opinion into consideration on the matter. I hope I have been helpful on the matter and clearly its a topic that should be discussed and debated.
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