Excerpt:
Knowing your rights during a police encounter can protect you from unlawful searches, detentions, and escalations. Here are the essential rules every individual should understand.
Full Article:
Police encounters can be stressful, especially when you’re unsure what you are legally required to do. Understanding your rights helps protect you from unintended self-incrimination or unlawful treatment.
Under the Fourth Amendment, citizens are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures. This means an officer must have reasonable suspicion to stop you and probable cause to search your belongings. You are allowed to ask: “Am I free to leave?” If the officer says yes, calmly walk away.
You also have the right to remain silent. In most states, you must provide basic identification if requested, but you are not required to answer investigative questions without an attorney present.
The article concludes by advising: stay calm, avoid physical resistance, and contact a lawyer immediately if you believe your rights were violated. Documentation—video, notes, and witness names—can be crucial in a later legal defense.
