Policing is one of the toughest jobs in the world. It is a job where work and home life balance is very difficult to manage. This can lead to stress at work and police officers are sometimes seen exhibiting bad behaviour. This bad behaviour is considered to be professional misconduct at the officer’s end. Misconduct may even lead to the use of excessive force by officers if you don’t know how to deal with them in a particular situation.
Know Your Citizen Rights
One important aspect of dealing with police officers is that you must know your basic citizen rights. There are situations when an officer might be suspicious of your activities, even though you haven’t done anything wrong. A police officer has the right to enquire about your reason for being at a certain place at a certain time. They can even stop your vehicle while you’re driving to ask if you have a valid driver’s license or to make sure that your vehicle is in driving condition. People who are not aware of their rights often get a bit confused and try to avoid interacting with the officers which might make you a bit more suspicious to them.
Arbitrary Detention
Another thing you must be aware of is that the police cannot detain you without any proper reasoning or cause behind it. This means that legally you cannot be detained by the police if you have done nothing wrong. The term arbitrary detention means that you were detained wrongfully. Anything you say or any items found on you in this type of detention is not admissible in court.
Right To Ask For Reason Of Detention
If the police stop you for any unknown reason, you have the right to ask them why they seem fit to detain you. They are bound by law to give you the reason. After knowing the reason you have the right to stay silent and not speak further. This way you can avoid giving them any information and can wait to speak further with your lawyer.
Right To Stay Silent
While you are in police detention you cannot be forced to say anything. You have the right to remain silent. During this time you must remain calm and avoid any arguments or misbehavior with the police officers. If you become aggressive, chances are the situation will turn against you and the officers might resort to using force to contain you. This is never a good situation to be involved in.
Right To Ask For A Lawyer
Lastly, after you realize that the officers are trying to detain you for a justified reason or perhaps it is arbitrary detention, you must ask to speak with your lawyer in private. This is your basic citizen right and no police officer can deny you this right. In fact, the police must accommodate you to talk to your lawyer. This is usually done by granting you a phone call.
Slaferek Callihoo are among the best Criminal Defence Lawyers in Edmonton. We devote personal attention to every case we take on. Our vast legal experience guarantees you a fair chance in regards to your case. Visit our website to learn more about us or call us directly to get a free consultation from our team.
