What to Avoid Following a DC Drug Arrest

When a person is being investigated or facing criminal charges on drug allegations, there are few actions a person can take in those circumstances to prevent their situation from getting worse. They should take appropriate steps to protect themselves from additional consequences or from incriminating themselves. For more information about what to avoid following a DC drug arrest, seek the services of a well-established lawyer.

Self-Incrimination

The first and most important thing that a person should do following a drug arrest is to remain silent. They should not answer the police’s questions and should not answer questions from anyone about their case even if they believe that they are saying things to the police that are helpful to them. That person’s words can be twisted, misinterpreted, misconstrued by the police and by prosecutors and used against them. If a person is being questioned by the police or if they are approached by the police, the best thing they can do is tell them they want to talk to a lawyer first.

Someone saying they want to talk to a lawyer can never be used as evidence against them. It does not show that the person is guilty. It is merely to avoid incriminating themselves and to prevent their situation from getting worse. A person should know when the police are trying to speak with them, interrogate them, or ask them questions, the police are not required to tell them exactly why they are questioning them. The officers are not even required to tell the person the truth about what evidence they have and intend to use against them. The police are not only allowed to lie to them, but they frequently will because the police want to get the person to say something to use against them later on.

Trusting the Police

Assuming what law enforcement is saying is true is another aspect of what someone should avoid following a DC drug arrest. Police sometimes claim that they are only trying to help the person or they are just trying to get their side of the story. The police can claim that they have evidence against the person they are arresting that they do not actually have. They will claim that they have information from witnesses, security footage or surveillance footage that may or may not actually exist.

Since a person does not know what the police have, they are at a significant disadvantage when dealing with the police. Their best option is to tell the police that they will not answer any questions without having a lawyer present.

The police are not required to inform a person in all circumstances that they have the right to remain silent. In many situations, the police are not required to read a person’s Miranda Warnings. Nonetheless, whether the police read the Miranda Warning or not, people always have the right to remain silent.

Police Searches

Along with a person’s right to remain silent, they also have the right to decline searches. If police officers come up to a person or pull them over while they are driving and ask them if they would consent to the police searching their car or their body, the person has the right to decline their request. Regardless of a person’s answer, the police may end up searching them anyway because in many circumstances the police have authority to search their body or search their vehicle without their consent or without a warrant. As long as a person declines, however, their attorney has a better chance to challenge that search later on. A person has the right to say no, they have the right to tell the police that they do not want them searching their body and they do not want them searching their vehicle or their house.

If you have any questions about what to avoid following a DC drug arrest, call a dedicated defense lawyer today.