DC Criminal Witness Lawyer

If you have been contacted by police it is important to consult with a DC criminal witness lawyer even if you think you were contacted because you witnessed a crime.

Even if you think there is no way that you can be implicated, police often mask their true intentions and may have in fact contacted you because you are a suspect. Additionally, a lawyer can help ensure that you do not say anything that could be considered incriminating and used against you at a later date.

For these reasons, a DC criminal defense attorney should be the first person you consult after being contacted by police, even if you are only a witness. To learn more or discuss your situation in more detail, call and schedule a consultation today.

Police Tactics That Can Impact Witnesses

In some instances, DC police officers use deceptive tactics when questioning people. They can try to convince a person that they have no option but to make a statement or that the person has nothing to worry about. Police officers are able to use all sorts of deception, and they are allowed to do so legally to extract information.

Police do this with the hope that a person will say something that the police can then use as evidence against either that person or someone else later on.

On the one hand, DC police officers want to perform an investigation that helps them obtain evidence they can use in court to convict a person who committed a crime. At the same time, if the police do not have a suspect, they may cast a wide net during the investigation. From their perspective, anyone they want to speak with could be a possible suspect.

Signs You are Implicated in a Crime

Someone who is interviewed or asked to be interviewed by the police typically will not know if they are a suspect or if they are only a witness. Police are not required to inform a person whether they are a suspect or witness, which is why it is beneficial for an individual to speak to a DC criminal witness attorney prior to speaking with the police.

The deceptive tactics that police officers are allowed to use with private citizens are not supposed to be employed against a criminal witness attorney in DC hired by a person to represent them during a police investigation. As a result, criminal defense attorneys can be in a better position to speak with the police to find out where they are in the investigation and the information they need from possible witnesses.

When a person has their lawyer act as a barrier between them and the police, this can minimize the chances that the police use deceptive tactics to try to trick a person into making a statement against their own interests.

Concerns for Criminal Witnesses in DC

When the police ask to speak with a suspect or witness, the person will not know what stage of the investigation they are in. A person should have counsel present whether the police just began an investigation and are still looking for witnesses, or they may already have a suspect and are looking to confirm their suspicions.

There are signs that a person may be a potential suspect and they need to be careful with what they say. For example, if a police officer approaches you and tells you that they are just looking for background information, or they just want to know what you saw then you should consider contacting a criminal witness.

A major sign that you should not speak with the police without guidance is when they say something along the lines that, “we just want to eliminate you as a possible suspect”.

Once you make a statement to the police, you cannot retract what you said. Even if you realize that what you said was misinterpreted or that you misspoke, the police can and will use it against you. The prosecution may use a misstatement to discredit you by demonstrating that you were lying. Thus, it is essential to first discuss the situation with a criminal witness lawyer.

Affects of Asking to Speak with a Lawyer

Everyone has the absolute right to decline to answer questions posed by a police officer. This applies at every stage of an investigation. It does not only apply once a person has been arrested. If a police officer approaches you with questions, you can say that you would like to consult with a lawyer before you answer any questions.

This will often annoy the police officers. Police officers would much rather have you waive your constitutional rights and just answer their questions because this will make their investigations significantly easier. When a lawyer is involved, a police officer may be annoyed; however they cannot hold this against you.

The presence of a lawyer does not imply guilt and further allow a police officer to arrest you. In addition, a police officer cannot search your house just because you hired a lawyer. Again, when you hire a lawyer, this does not allow a police officer to suspect you of any wrongdoing. Call today to schedule a consultation.

Hire a DC Criminal Witness Attorney

A criminal witness lawyer in DC can help you understand exactly what the police might be looking for and the best way to approach their questions. This can ultimately help you avoid making statements that could be used by the police to charge you with a crime. Call our contact us today.