Avoid These 5 Mistakes If You’re Arrested in Broward County

Getting arrested is the last thing you want to happen. But you have to be realistic about the situation. If you are arrested, that’s unfortunate. But you don’t want to make things worse on yourself by exacerbating the problem. This is particularly true in Florida, where if you aren’t careful you could end up shot or tased. Avoid these 5 mistakes if you’re arrested in Broward County.

What To Avoid If You’re Arrested

It is unlikely that anyone has ever left their home in the morning and thought that they would get arrested that day. Most people who have run-ins with the law are caught completely off-guard, having not even done anything wrong. At least, they don’t think that they’ve done anything wrong. This element of surprise and unexpectedness can be unsettling and upsetting, which often leads people to make some pretty bad mistakes during and after their arrest.

If you are ever told you are being arrested, avoid doing these five things that can make the situation even worse:

• Resisting: If a police officer wants to arrest you, let them. You might know 100% that you are innocent or that the arrest is wrongful, but any sort of resistance can be seen as a crime and can escalate the situation into violence. When everything is said and done, you will be happier and healthier if you move slowly, deliberately, and never resist.
• Talking too much: Saying pretty much anything to a police officer while you are under arrest is automatically not the best idea. You can give them basic identifying information – i.e. who you are – but anything else is unnecessary and not in your best interest. Police are often suspicious of people who won’t stop talking, so only say what absolutely needs to be said.
• Agreeing to cooperate: You cannot lie to the police, but they can pretty much say whatever they want to you. Sometimes an officer will offer you leniency if you cooperate. Not only are they not in control of charges, prosecution, and sentencing, but they are also probably just trying to get you to admit guilt. Don’t fall for it – stay silent and evoke your Fifth Amendment rights.

• Implicating another person: Speaking of cooperation, you should not start listing off other people who the police may be looking “instead of you.” You might actually have good information about an actual criminal, but telling them this upfront validates their arrest even more since it would seem you knew some, if not a lot, about the crime in question.
• Not hiring a lawyer: The police and law enforcement department in Broward County have more resources than you do alone, but that doesn’t mean they have more power. When you are offered your first phone call while arrested or detained, use it to call a criminal defense lawyer who can come to your aid as soon as possible.

If you live in Palm Beach County or Broward County and need a criminal defense lawyer, call (954) 947-5000 or (561) 614-5000 to talk to Piotrowski Law today!