Although no one ever wants to get arrested for any reason, there may come a time in your life when you run into problems with the police. To prepare for the chance of this taking place, it’s wise to know what you should and shouldn’t do when interacting with police in order to keep yourself safe.
To help you learn the best way to make it through an arrest without any unnecessary negative consequences, here are three tips for safely interacting with police when you’re being arrested.
Don’t Resist Arrest
One of the worst things you can do if you’re being arrested by a police officer is to resist the arrest in any way.
According to the ACLU, even if you think that you’re being wrongly arrested or are being treated unfairly, if you resist arrest or don’t follow the commands that are given to you by the police, you might find yourself in even more trouble with the police officer. If there was something nefarious that took place with your arrest, you can get this taken care of later on when everyone’s nerves aren’t as taut and you can get legal representation to defend you and your interests.
Use Your Right To Remain Silent
When interacting with police officers, even if you’re not arrested yet, one of the best things you can do it take advantage of your right to remain silent. While you should try to be respectful, it’s perfectly within your rights to not answer questions posed to you by the police without legal representation present.
If you’re nervous about what to say in this situation, Nolo.com shares that you can say something to the effect of only wanting to speak with your lawyer, invoking your right to remain silent, claiming your Miranda rights, or simply that you refuse to speak with the officers.
Make It Easy To Process You
While you don’t have to answer any questions posed to you by the police either before or after you’re being arrested, Adam Martin, a contributor to The Atlantic, shares that answering questions about who you are can help speed the booking process along quite a bit.
If you don’t share your name, address, and even your social security number with the police when they’re booking you after an arrest, you might wind up staying in holding for a longer period of time while the officers take your fingerprints in order to identify you. So to help yourself and the justice system, you might want to do what it takes to make it easier to process you.
To help you protect yourself in the event that you get arrested, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you know how to interact with any police officers.
