What to do (and not to do) if the police give you an investigation warrant

Have police Appear on your door Having a search warrant is not prepared by most law-abiding citizens. The general assumption is that if you are not engaged in a crime, You never have to wait while many cops tear your house.. But just because you can’t imagine something doesn’t mean it never happens, and mental preparation can have a serious impact on your outcome.

One thing to consider is that you don’t have to be involved in criminal activity yourself to experience the joy of police enforcement of an investigation warrant.If you rent a house, your landlord’s activities may knock on the police, or Your neighbor or roommate may be involved in something It drags your property into investigation. It may be unlikely, but dealing with a search warrant is certainly not impossible.

DDon’t panic if you are offered a search warrant

First of all, follow the golden rule when dealing with the police. Be calm and polite. Providing a search warrant is already a stressful experience for everyone involved, so being rude or combative can only have bad consequences. If the police decide to enter your house, they will. The time to discuss it is when you consult a lawyer and the police leave.

Obviously, this does not apply to a “no knock” warrant if the police simply have permission to rush in without warning. If you’re surprised by a deep sleep by the SWAT team, all you can do is obey their orders. And I wish you the best. But if a group of police officers ring your bell and tell you they have a warrant to search for the property, take a deep breath and do the following:

Ask to see the warrant

police You are allowed to lie We talk about a wide range of topics when conducting research, but we are not supposed to lie about warrants. Therefore, your first step is to make sure they actually have a warrant before allowing them to enter your property. Police do not have to voluntarily provide you with a warrant, but in most situations you will need to have a physical copy of the warrant.

If they are unable to create a warrant, do not agree to enter or search for the property. Once police officers have entered your property, they can seize anything with clear visibility as evidence, so it is always in your best interests to keep them outside unless they have a warrant. is. However, if you cannot make a warrant but move in without permission, Don’t resist. Attorneys will be present and will come later when discussing.

Read the warrant

Scanning complex legal documents while police roam your private space is not easy, but it’s a good idea to give it a try. Warrants are often very specific and narrow about what police are allowed to search for, so you need to check the contents of the document. For example, if police ask you to search your car in the garage, but the car is not specified in the warrant, you may be able to decline your consent.In fact, if the police ask permission To search for something after providing a warrant, it is possible that the warrant does not cover it and they are trying to increase access. Unless you have a good reason to comply, it is usually advisable to deny that permission.

You also need to make sure that the police have the correct address. The police are human and they make honest mistakes.If they have the wrong apartment number or the wrong street, you may save a lot of trouble to everyone by pointing it out. Previous They started turning your furniture over.

Record your search

It is legally permitted to record a search when it is performed. This is a good idea for two reasons. One is to discourage bending the restrictions of rules and warrants, and the other is that it can be important evidence if police do any damage during the search. It can also catch damages to your property, but it is very difficult to pay the police for the damages inflicted during the search.

Ask if you are detained

You may not want to stay in the search, and police may not be detaining you. Just ask if you are in custody or if you are free to go to know your options. Of course, you may want to stay to record or monitor the police while the police are searching, but it’s entirely up to you.

Contact a lawyer

Even if you know that you have never violated the law in your life, it is advisable to contact a lawyer Get legal advice. If nothing else, police have reason to suspect that your property is involved in any crime, and anything you find during the investigation could be used in a criminal investigation. If the police appear to have exceeded the access permitted by the warrant, a legal representative can help protect you and handle complaints in the future.