New Jersey Criminal Lawyer Discusses Cooperating With the Police

What happens if you are under investigation and the police ask you to come down to the station.  At that point, are you in custody?

As a New Jersey Criminal Lawyer I have had a lot of those incidents where the police requested that people make an appearance at the police station. It can be for a variety of reasons. I think there are two general rules here that need to be discussed.

The first general rule is you want to cooperate with the police. If there is something you can provide to the police in all good conscience- that isn’t going to implicate you in something- then that is a good rule. It is good to help the police.

On the other hand, if you don’t know what it is about or you think it is something that might incriminate you, then it is a good idea to get an attorney involved. Do this even before your meeting with the police, to try to find out what it is the police are after.

As a New Jersey Criminal Lawyer. I do not permit my clients to make statements to the police unless I know what it is about. What happens if they do? People get manipulated. They wind up saying things that will hurt them. Meanwhile, nobody is under obligation to give incriminating information to the police, at any time.

I get involved early on in a case. I speak to the officer or detective and let them know we would love to be cooperative. If my client is the target of an investigation, we may or may not make a statement. It all depends on the facts of a case and the liability my client may or may not have.

As a New Jersey Criminal Lawyer I have a general rule: I don’t walk my clients into being charged. If the police do not have enough information already to charge my client, I do not like my client to go the last mile for the police in their investigation.

There is no constitutional requirement that anybody provide to the police incriminating information.

If you’ve been arrested in New Jersey and think your Miranda rights may have been violated by a police officer, contact experienced Criminal Lawyer Carl Spector for a free confidential consultation.