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![]() When the Police Come Knocking . . .
"GOOD MORNING! My name is investigator Holmes. Do you mind answering a few simple
questions?" If you open your door one day and are greeted with those words,
STOP AND THINK! Whether it is the local police or the FBI at your door, you have
certain legal rights of which you ought to be aware before you proceed any
further.
In the first place, when law enforcement authorities come to see you, there are no
"simple questions". Unless they are investigating a traffic accident,
you can be sure that they want information about somebody. And that somebody may
be you!
DO NOT INVITE THE INVESTIGATOR INTO YOUR HOME!
Such an invitation not only gives him the opportunity to look around for clues to
your lifestyle, friends, reading material, etc., but also tends to prolong the
conversation. The longer the conversation, the more chance there is for a skilled
investigator to find out what he wants to know.
If the investigator becomes angry at your failure to cooperate and threatens you with arrest, stand firm. He cannot legally place you under arrest or enter your
home without a warrant signed by a judge. If he indicates that he has such a warrant, ask to see it. A person under arrest, or located on premises to be
searched, generally must be shown a warrant if he requests it and must be given to chance to read it. Without a warrant, an officer depends solely upon your helpfulness to obtain the information he wants. So, don't be helpful.
Probably the wisest approach to take to a persistent investigator is to simply
to say: "I'm quite busy now. If you have any questions that you feel I can
answer, I'd be happy to listen to them in my lawyer's office. Goodbye!" Talk is cheap, but when that talk involves the law enforcement authorities, it may cost
you, or someone close to you, dearly. This information also applies to dealing with private investigators, and security agents. Copyright 2002, 2004 Baum & Associates - All rights reserved
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