HOW TO HANDLE POLICE ENCOUNTERS

(Frequently Wanted Information on how to handle police encounters)

In any given police encounter, with a few notable exceptions, a few basic rules will help protect your civil rights and improve your chances of driving or walking away safely—so you don’t have to be a legal expert to say and do the right thing. To learn how to assert your constitutional rights in each type of encounter, click on a link below. Or read the Frequently Asked Questions.

• Police at your door Scenario
  • Keep Your Private Items Out of View
  • Do Not Let Them Enter
  • Be Courteous & Non-Confrontational
  • Determine the Reason for the Officer’s Visit
  • Just Say “No” to Warrantless Searches
  • Do Not Answer Questions without Your Attorney Present
    
    
• A Traffic Stop or in a car Scenario.
  • Keep Your Private Items Out of View
  • Do Not Let Them Enter
  • Be Courteous & Non-Confrontational
  • Determine the Reason for the traffic stop
  • Just Say “No” to Warrantless Searches
  • Determine if You Can Leave
  • Do Not Answer Questions without Your Attorney Present
  • Do Not Physically Resist
    
    
• Street Stop Scenario
  • Keep Your Private Items Out of View
    
  • Do Not Let Them Enter
    
  • Be Courteous & Non-Confrontational
    
  • Determine the Reason You Have Been Stopped
    
  • Determine if You Can Leave
    
  • Just Say “No” to Warrantless Searches
    
  • Do Not Answer Questions without Your Attorney Present
    
  • Do Not Physically Resist
    
    
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • Searches and Seizures
    
  • Warrants
    
  • Law Enforcement
    
  • Constitutional Rights
    
  • Consent
    
    
• History of the Fourth Amendment - Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
  
  
• Illegal Police Searches
  
  
• miranda-vs-arizona
  
  
• Definiton of Probable Cause
  
  
• Racial Profiling Statistics