It’s normal to get nervous when pulled over by the police. After all, depending on how the interaction plays out, you could find yourself on the receiving end of allegations of criminal wrongdoing. These accusations alone can damage your reputation, and a criminal conviction for something like DUI can affect everything from your freedom and your employment to your living arrangements and your driving abilities.
Those realities might leave you wondering, then, if you should cooperate with the police when you’re pulled over. When you’re stopped by the police, you should make sure you do each of the following:
- Try to be respectful, recognizing that the officer is just doing their job.
- Don’t make any admissions of wrongdoing and don’t apologize for anything that could be interpreted as you admitting to some sort of fault. It’s best to stick to “yes” and “no” answers, if possible.
- Remember that the police are not your friend. They don’t care about you and your future, they only care about enforcing the law. So, don’t talk too much in an attempt to charm law enforcement officers, as doing so will probably just lead you to getting into trouble.
- Don’t agree to any field sobriety tests. These tests are often improperly administered, which just gives the false impression that you’re intoxicated. This will shift the burden to you to prove that the field sobriety test was errant. In other words, you have very little to prove by engaging in a field sobriety test. After all, in these situations, law enforcement has probably already decided to arrest you; they’re simply looking for additional evidence to justify their actions.
- For similar reasons, don’t agree to submit to a portable breath test. These tests can provide erroneous results that are difficult to overcome. If you feel like you need to submit to a breath test, request to do so at the police station.
- Avoid a blood test, if possible, as these results are often more conclusive, meaning that you might have a hard time disproving those results.
- If you’re arrested, be careful with what you say when you’re talking on the phone. The police might be listening in, and they might be able to use that evidence against you.
- Get an attorney on your side as quickly as possible so that you can work to protect your interests and your future.
Don’t let law enforcement push you around
Far too often, individuals end up getting themselves convicted on drunk driving charges by talking too much or otherwise acting in a way that leads to incrimination. This is often attributable to police tactics, which is why you have to be careful with how you act when you’re around law enforcement.
We know that it can be confusing to figure out how you’re supposed to act around the police, which is why legal professionals like those at our firm are here to help. So, if you’re worried about allegations of criminal wrongdoing being leveled against you, then it’s never too early to seek legal guidance.
An attorney who is well versed in this area of the law can help you analyze the facts of your case and spot weaknesses in the prosecution’s legal arguments. One of these legal professionals can also help you to communicate with the police so that you’re not making any common mistakes that could land you in hot water.
So, if you’d like to learn more about what you can do to protect your interests in these matters, please don’t hesitate to consider seeking legal guidance.