Your Rights & the Police
One of the building blocks of a democratic society is an educated citizenry. If citizens don't know their legal rights and how to enforce them, they will be taken advantage of. Ignore your rights, and they will go away.
The police-citizen encounter is a very dramatic contact with "the government". All citizens should know how the Constitution works and what rights all citizens have.
Rather than "reinvent the wheel", here's a link to vital information provided by the Ohio State Bar Association entitled, "Your Rights if Questioned, Stopped or Arrested by the Police": www.ohiobar.org
These are excellent introductions to a complex subject matter.
- NEVER GIVE UP YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS!
- DON'T TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF TROUBLE!
- SAVE YOUR BREATH FOR YOUR LAWYER OR THE JUDGE.
- YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE CONSENT TO BE SEARCHED; IF ARRESTED, PLEAD NOT GUILTY, SEEK A LAWYER
- YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS
You can also find useful info at www.nolo.com.