How to Behave When the Police Wants to Question You

Many occurrences can lead you to the hands of the police for questioning. Some of these include being charged with an offense, including sexual offense, drug trafficking, traffic offense. In such circumstances, the police have a right to question you, but they have to let you go except for cases whereby they have a solid reason to detain you. When facing such a situation, there is a way to behave to avoid unnecessary impacts like arrests. Here are six crucial ways to behave when the police want to question you. 

1. Understand your Situation

The first responsibility to you in the face of police questioning is to understand the situation you face. You need to know the circumstances that have led the police want to question you. There are times when you are sure that you have stayed within the legal framework and thus have nothing that worries you. On the other hand, there are times when you feel guilty of an offense and need to be keener when the police want to question you.

The police can apprehend you for any type of crime in case you answer some questions irresponsibly. Thus, you need to understand the reason for questioning and the types of questions to prepare beforehand to give an appropriate answer. 

2. Consult your Lawyer

Lawyers are qualified to deal with police queries that are complex for the common citizens. Therefore, it is wise to consult a lawyer before agreeing to be questioned by the police. It is a constitutional right to talk to your lawyer before responding to any questions from the police. Lawyers understand how to go through such questioning and may help you avoid being charged with a crime. Ensure you give every detail to the attorney and explain to them why you are being questioned. 

If you already have a lawyer, consult the lawyer before answering the police’s queries. If you do not have a lawyer yet, you can search for one to assist you in the process. It would help to hire a qualified lawyer experienced in tackling scenarios like the one you are facing. 

3. Familiarize Yourself with the Police Questioning Strategies

The police have their way of questioning people. It would be best if you were smart to understand their questioning strategies to know how to answer the questions that will be likely to be asked. The police can use various techniques such as telling you that they have tangible evidence against you even if they don’t, asking you for search consent, or even telling you that remaining silent raises suspicion on your side. Being familiar with these strategies raises your confidence during questioning. Confidence will make you calm and answer questions accordingly, thus avoiding any tension and unnecessary outcomes. 

4. Understand Consent

In the police’s face, you don’t have to give consent to answering questions or for a search warrant if you aren’t a suspect of a particular crime. When you consent to anything, you provide the police with more rights than yours. Consenting can lead to unnecessary arrests due to more evidence garnered by the police. Hence, you need to avoid giving voluntary consents to police that can bring harm to your side.

5. Know when to Speak

The police can use anything that you have spoken against you. Therefore, it is good to know how to respond to the questions asked and remain silent. As mentioned earlier, it is wise to confer with your judge before answering any questions. The police are supposed to stop asking you the questions when you ask to speak to your lawyer first. It is your right to remain silent if they proceed with the questions before speaking to your lawyer. To be safer, you better remain silent if you feel that the police ask you something that can put you at risk of being charged with an offense.

6. Know whether You Are Under Arrest

The police can order your arrest when there is a probable cause of arrest. If the police deny you to leave after questioning, then you could be under arrest. However, you need to ask for clarification if, indeed, you are under arrest. Despite being under arrest, you still have some rights, even though they are fewer than if you were just under investigative detention. With the probable cause of arrest, the officers have more rights over you, and they could take actions such as asking for search warrants to look for more evidence against you. 

Regardless of the cause, it is essential always to be well-prepared to face the police for questioning. Unpreparedness could lead you to be charged and even unnecessary detentions. Thus, it would be best if you packaged yourself well when the police want to question you.