How to Handle An Encounter with the Cops

Before you breeze past this article without a second thought, let me point out that this article is not designed to be for the hardened criminal. They already know how to handle the cops (though they rarely do what they know they should do). This article is for you, the normal person, that never thinks they’ll need to know this kind of information until they need to know this kind of information. So why not just learn it today and commit it to memory so you won’t need a criminal attorney when the encounter is over?

Let me give you an example of how this usually starts out. You are walking down the street, minding your own business when a cop comes up to you and asks you how your day is going. You tell him okay, but you want to get on your way. He asks if he can see you identification. What do you do?

By the way, trust me when I say this because I’m a criminal lawyer, the correct thing to do is NOT run away! If you run, even though, technically, you probably have the right to do so, you will be run down, tackled, and probably arrested. So don’t do that.

What you should do in this situation is calmly and coolly tell the officer that you are under no obligation to present your identification and you will not be doing so. I would then calmly tell the cop that you have somewhere to be and start walking away.

What will happen next is anyone’s guess, but in all likelihood the officer will say “if you don’t have anything to hide, why don’t you give me your id?” At that point I would inform the officer that the encounter is over as far as you are concerned and you have somewhere to be.

It’s not so much that you might have something to hide as you have the right to privacy even when you are on the street. This means the cops can’t just come up to you checking you out without some kind of valid reason. And, if you are hiding something, it’s critical that you remain silent. Ask any criminal attorney out there and they’ll tell you the number one way people mess up is doing things they have every right not to do.

Here’s to hoping your next police encounter is a good one!

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