Open up! It’s the police!
One day you’re minding your own business and get a loud knock at the door.
“POLICE! Open up, we need to talk to you!”
What do you do?
Do you open the door?
“OPEN UP or we’ll arrest you!”
It’s the police – you see men in uniforms with badges. Or maybe just one person that is clearly identified as a law enforcement officer. Should you open up? After all, you’ve done nothing wrong, you could help them with information about something important. Or maybe they have the wrong address. Could it be they have a warrant for your arrest? Should you open the door?
Unless the person at the door shows you a warrant. Do NOT open that door. Tell them you’re calling your lawyer then call your lawyer – our number is (843)249-2252.
Even if you’ve done nothing wrong, opening that door cannot help you in any way, but could hurt you in many ways.
Let’s say they just want to ask you about a crime in the area. What could go wrong?
Scenario 1
The police might ask you if you know a guy that lives across the street, You tell them you know him and heard he could be trouble, so you stay away from him. They now ask you if they could get a statement about what you think he has done, because they already know it’s him, but they’d just like some info from you to confirm.
If you do know something and tell them, they might think you were in on it with him. They might start asking a lot of questions. If you get nervous and just give one inconsistent statement, they might arrest you, saying you lied to them to obstruct an investigation.
Scenario 2
The police might as you about your neighbor and you might say, “I don’t know anything about him.” They ask if they can come in (nicely) so they can see if they can see his porch from your window. You think you are helping them so you let them in, after all if that guy is a crook, you’re helping put him away.
As they peer out your window they say, ” How could you have this view of his porch and not see the scurrilous activity of which he’s taking part ? You must be an accessory.”
What’s an accessory?
“Someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime, without directly committing it, sometimes without being present.” That means if you know someone committed a crime and didn’t tell police, you could be charged as part of the crime. How do you defend yourself against that? To prove you DIDN’T know someone ELSE committed a crime?
Scenario 3
You’re sitting at home, watching Cops on TV when you see a house that looks like yours and then hear a knock on your own door. These guys are standing around. The sleepy-looking one is holding a badge and the other guy’s jacket might say “police” – it might say something else, hard to tell. They don’t say anything and they have no warrant visible. Do you let them walk into your home – your castle?
The answer is no!
There is no situation imaginable where allowing the police into your home for a “looky loo” can benefit you. There are, however a number of reasons where allowing them in can harm you, whether you have committed a crime or not.
All of the above scenarios have played out – sometimes with disastrous results. The police are a very important part of our society but we must recognize the reality that the police are not necessarily going to look out for your best interests. Even if they believe wholeheartedly that they are doing the right thing – they can be wrong. That’s why it’s important to always have a lawyer on your side. Your Attorney is there to make sure that the police obey the rules and stay within the lines drawn by the law.
IF you have the police knocking on your door, do not open it. Call your Attorney (in Horry County call 843-249-2252) and tell the police to contact your attorney before they talk to you. If you need a Myrtle beach lawyer or Horry County Attorney please call (843)249-2252.
Heather Locklear back on social media after arrest and hospitalization.
Anyone can end up on the wrong side of the law. But we can all bounce back, with help!
It’s been a turbulent few months for Heather Locklear, but the actress exuded positivity in a new Instagram post — her first since she was arrested for battery and hospitalized for a suspected overdose in June.
Locklear, who turns 57 next month, marked her return to social media with an adorable photo of her dog wearing sunglasses. The caption: “Sun shining day.”
The playful message is the first Instagram Locklear has posted since April 13. On June 16, the former Melrose Place star was hospitalized after her mother called police claiming that Locklear was threatening to kill herself. The 911 operator who took the call described Locklear as “agitated and violent.”
Just days later, Locklear was arrested and charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery on emergency personnel who responded to a separate 911 call to her home.
“She kicked one of our deputies, and she also kicked an EMT who tried to evaluate her medical status,” a spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told Yahoo Entertainment following the incident. “She is in the process of posting bail at this time.”
Locklear spent 12 hours in custody before returning home, where the following afternoon police were again called following reports of a suspected overdose. The actress was subsequently hospitalized.
The June events weren’t her only brush with the law this year. In February, she was charged with a felony count of domestic violence against boyfriend Chris Heisser and three counts of misdemeanor battery against police officers who responded to her brother’s 911 call that she and Heisser were fighting. Hours later, Heisser was charged with driving under the influence, and has since pleaded guilty.
Even the rich and famous – and beautiful – can have a bad day. If you have a bad day and need help to fight allegations by police – call us! (843)249-2252
Conor McGregor Goes to Court
You might be rich and famous, but you can’t throw dollies at buses.
UFC Fighter Conor McGregor was caught on camera rampaging and throwing things (including a hand truck) at a bus full of other UFC Athletes, their training partners and UFC staff.
This is the start of a long process that being charged with a crime entails. The process should not be taken lightly and should not be faced without an attorney.
Conor McGregor had his bail set at $50,000 during a court arraignment in New York on April 6. McGregor faces assault and criminal mischief charges stemming from a melee that broke out backstage during a UFC event on April 5.
Don’t give in – Get an Attorney!
No matter the charges, if you are charged with a crime – don’t give up. Don’t let the government hand out a punishment without doing whatever is necessary to mitigate the outcome. Call an attorney before talking to police and don’t plead guilty until you’ve had the advice of a qualified, Criminal Defense Attorney.
Call (843)249-2252
A law professor (and a cop) tell you why you should not talk to police.
Here’s Law Professor James Duane of Regent Law School explaining why you should not talk to the police.
Even if you’re completely innocent. Don’t Talk to the Police! (you can say, Hello” but do not discuss any criminal matter with the police. That’s what Lawyers are for.
The second part of the video is a police officer telling why you should not talk to police officers.
Never talk to police officers except to tel them you are calling (843)249-2252 to speak to your lawyer.
Top Ten Reasons (ok maybe 8) Why not to talk to the police:
- There is no way it can help you.
- If you are guilty – and even if you are not – you may admit your guilt with no benefit in return.
- Even if you are innocent and deny your guilt and mostly tell the truth, you can get easily carried away and tell some little lie or make some little mistake that will hang you.
- Even if you are innocent and only tell the truth, you will always give the police some information that can be used to help convict you.
- Even if you are innocent and only tell the truth and do not tell police anything incriminating, your answers can be used to crucify you if the police don’t recall your testimony with 100% accuracy.
- Even if you are innocent and only tell the truth and do not tell police anything incriminating and your statement is recorded, your answers can be used to crucify you if the police don’t recall the exact questions they asked.
- Even if you are innocent and only tell the truth and do not tell police anything incriminating and your entire interview is recorded, your answers can still be used to crucify you if the police have any other evidence (even if it’s not mistaken or unreliable evidence) that anything you’ve ever said is false – Even if what you’ve said is actually true.
Should police use “Confidential Informants”?
On June 27, 2014, the body of 20-year-old Andrew Sadek, a promising electrical student at the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) in Wahpeton, North Dakota, was pulled from the Red River bordering North Dakota and Minnesota.
Missing for two months, the young man was found shot in the head, wearing a backpack filled with rocks.
The grisly death of a college student in one of the safest towns in the state did not lead to a sweeping investigation. In fact, police immediately said they did not suspect foul play.
Such a supposition strains credulity as it is, but what would be slowly revealed over the following months is that Andrew had been working as a confidential informant for the police, and that his school knew that authorities were busting its students and using them as bait to catch drug dealers.
From : youtube.com
Andrew can be seen being “turned” in a video here. He did not consult a lawyer or even his parents (he was 20) before walking into that interrogation room.
Another “luckier” student was harassed by police. He was told that if he did not wear a wire and entrap his friends, he would face 30 years in jail. He chose to walk out of the police interrogation and demand a lawyer. He ended up with 18 months probation.
Police might take advantage of a person’s vulnerability.
Many people find themselves in trouble and are faced with hardcore police tactics to recruit them for “The War on Drugs”. In most cases the C.I. is someone who could use drug counseling and intervention. Unethical police might ignore the pain and weakness of the person and ask them to perform risky things like “wearing a wire” or actually buying and selling drugs to entrap their friends or acquaintances.
If you or someone you care about is coerced by law enforcement officers to “turn on their dealer” or “help the police get evidence” in exchange for not being prosecuted, have them call (843)249-2252. We strongly urge you to consider the entirety of your situation from another perspective. Remember that is the job of the police to make arrests, not to look out for your interests.
South Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would not allow LEOs and prosecutors to use people who are in the court system as CIs. This would keep folks who might be charged with a minor offense to feel pressured to turn in other (even if the others are innocent) just to get out of the charges they face.
A Bill has been introduced stating:
A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS PROHIBITED FROM USING ANY PARTICIPANT IN A DRUG COURT PROCEEDING AS A CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT.
Should this bill become law it would make it harder for police to pressure those accused of a crime to cooperate.
While we don’t think all police are unscrupulous we must recognize that the system rewards them for more arrests. It’s much easier to have a vulnerable person turn in others that it is to catch people who might be in the privacy of their own home.