Being interrogated by the police is a frightening experience for anyone. If law enforcement is questioning you, it’s critical to understand and exercise your rights, or you could hurt your chances of achieving a favorable outcome in your criminal case. Our experienced Manassas criminal defense lawyers at The Wilson Law Firm explain serious mistakes to avoid during interrogation that can make it more challenging to defend you successfully.
What Not to Do: 6 Mistakes That Can Hurt You in a Virginia Police Interrogation
The police may bring you in for questioning if you’re the subject of a criminal investigation or try to interrogate you after an arrest. They may act friendly and make it sound like they’re just asking you routine questions.
The reality is that they’re trying to collect evidence or get you to confess. Here are the mistakes that our criminal defense lawyers strongly advise you not to make when being questioned by the police.
1. Not Remaining Calm
If you don’t maintain your composure when speaking to the police, it’s harder to be careful about what you say. You could make statements or provide the police with information they can use against you. In a worst-case scenario, the officers might try to charge you with additional offenses.
2. Saying Too Much
It’s rarely a good idea to talk to the police. If you must answer some questions, keep your answers brief, such as a simple “yes” or “no.” In addition, don’t try to convince the officer of your innocence if you’re falsely accused of a crime. It won’t work, and the police could use your statements against you.
3. Lying
This is a big mistake and might result in you facing additional charges. In addition, if law enforcement catches the lie, this reduces your credibility and makes it harder for us to get you a favorable plea bargain if this is a possibility for your charges.
4. Not Exercising Your Miranda Rights
You have a constitutional right to remain silent, which you should exercise if the police try to interrogate you. They’re required to read your Miranda warnings upon apprehension. If they fail to inform you of these rights, our criminal defense attorneys may be able to get any statements or confessions excluded as inadmissible in court.
5. Agreeing to a Search
Another mistake you want to avoid is consenting to a police search of your property, motor vehicle, or your person if the police don’t have a valid search warrant. You have a constitutional right against unreasonable searches and seizures, which you should exercise.
6. Not Asking for an Attorney
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to speak to the police without having a criminal defense lawyer present during questioning. When reading your Miranda rights, the officer must inform you of your right to an attorney and to have one appointed to represent you if you cannot afford to hire one. If the police are interrogating you, you should immediately tell them you want your lawyer present and contact The Wilson Law Firm.
How Our Criminal Defense Lawyers Protect Your Rights
If the police want to question you, you don’t have to go it alone. Our criminal defense lawyers sit with you during interrogations and protect your rights at every stage in your criminal case. Our legal team has decades of experience defending our clients and knows that you may have strong defenses to the charges you face, even if you’re guilty or made mistakes while being questioned before you requested an attorney.
For example, we may be able to poke holes in the prosecution’s case to show that they cannot meet their burden of proving all the elements of the crime they’re accusing you of committing. We may also file a motion to suppress your statements or confession if the police violated your Miranda rights, conducted an illegal search of your property or your person, or improperly collected evidence being used against you. If our motion is successful, we may get the charges dismissed or reduced to a less severe offense with less harsh punishments through a plea bargain. We’ll fight hard to help you achieve a successful outcome in your criminal case.