Maybe an investigator left a card. Maybe an officer left a voicemail asking you to call back. Maybe it's a knock on your door. However it started, the first questions usually come down to two: Do I have to talk to them? And should I?
Do I have to talk to a detective?
No. No one under investigation for a suspected crime has to talk with a detective or answer their questions about what they did or didn't do.
You don't have to:
Answer the phone
Return a call
Answer the door
"Give a statement"
Show the police anything in your garage, your home, your phone, or anywhere else
Should I talk to a detective?
Not before you talk with a lawyer.
They may tell you they just want to "get both sides of the story," "clear up a misunderstanding," or "close their file." Any of that might be true. But here's the catch: the police want you to talk because anything you say can and will be used against you. Not just what you say after an arrest, but anything you say, at any point.
I haven't been charged. Why would I need a lawyer now?
You might not. Often, when someone tells me why they're afraid they're being investigated, I can tell them it sounds like they probably don't need to hire a lawyer. But sometimes it sounds like they might.
I don't want you to hire me unless it makes sense to both of us. If it's not clear I can help, I'll tell you so. If hiring a lawyer before you're charged makes sense, I'll tell you what I think I can do for you, what the fee would be, and why.
Will hiring a lawyer make me look guilty?
The police may think so. But police need facts to support a suspicion, and they know that talking with a lawyer, or hiring one, doesn't make anyone more likely to be guilty. Police can suspect all they want. Suspicion by itself doesn't count.
What a lawyer can do now
Investigations by different police agencies follow similar playbooks. A lawyer who knows police procedure can help you understand what the police have done, or haven't done, in your case so far, and what they might do next, and why.
Police want to talk to you?
A first call is free and takes about 15 minutes. Book a free call, or text (540) 858-5464.
This sheet is general information, not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Reading it, or contacting me, doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.
