One day you’re minding your own business and get a loud knock at the door.
“POLICE! Open up, we need to talk to you!”
What do you do?
Do you open the door?
“OPEN UP or we’ll arrest you!”
It’s the police – you see men in uniforms with badges. Or maybe just one person that is clearly identified as a law enforcement officer. Should you open up? After all, you’ve done nothing wrong, you could help them with information about something important. Or maybe they have the wrong address. Could it be they have a warrant for your arrest? Should you open the door?
Unless the person at the door shows you a warrant. Do NOT open that door. Tell them you’re calling your lawyer then call your lawyer – our number is (843)249-2252.
Even if you’ve done nothing wrong, opening that door cannot help you in any way, but could hurt you in many ways.
Let’s say they just want to ask you about a crime in the area. What could go wrong?
Scenario 1
The police might ask you if you know a guy that lives across the street, You tell them you know him and heard he could be trouble, so you stay away from him. They now ask you if they could get a statement about what you think he has done, because they already know it’s him, but they’d just like some info from you to confirm.
If you do know something and tell them, they might think you were in on it with him. They might start asking a lot of questions. If you get nervous and just give one inconsistent statement, they might arrest you, saying you lied to them to obstruct an investigation.
Scenario 2
The police might as you about your neighbor and you might say, “I don’t know anything about him.” They ask if they can come in (nicely) so they can see if they can see his porch from your window. You think you are helping them so you let them in, after all if that guy is a crook, you’re helping put him away.
As they peer out your window they say, ” How could you have this view of his porch and not see the scurrilous activity of which he’s taking part ? You must be an accessory.”
What’s an accessory?
“Someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime, without directly committing it, sometimes without being present.” That means if you know someone committed a crime and didn’t tell police, you could be charged as part of the crime. How do you defend yourself against that? To prove you DIDN’T know someone ELSE committed a crime?
Scenario 3
You’re sitting at home, watching Cops on TV when you see a house that looks like yours and then hear a knock on your own door. These guys are standing around. The sleepy-looking one is holding a badge and the other guy’s jacket might say “police” – it might say something else, hard to tell. They don’t say anything and they have no warrant visible. Do you let them walk into your home – your castle?
The answer is no!
There is no situation imaginable where allowing the police into your home for a “looky loo” can benefit you. There are, however a number of reasons where allowing them in can harm you, whether you have committed a crime or not.
All of the above scenarios have played out – sometimes with disastrous results. The police are a very important part of our society but we must recognize the reality that the police are not necessarily going to look out for your best interests. Even if they believe wholeheartedly that they are doing the right thing – they can be wrong. That’s why it’s important to always have a lawyer on your side. Your Attorney is there to make sure that the police obey the rules and stay within the lines drawn by the law.
IF you have the police knocking on your door, do not open it. Call your Attorney (in Horry County call 843-249-2252) and tell the police to contact your attorney before they talk to you. If you need a Myrtle beach lawyer or Horry County Attorney please call (843)249-2252.