What to Do After Suffering From a Wrongful Arrest
You were relaxing on the couch when you heard the knock. Not a soft courteous knock. But, the authoritative knock of the police coming to arrest you!
Sometimes people get arrested for something they didn't do. Unfortunately, a study found that about 54% of false arrests happened due to misconduct by the police, the prosecutor, or both.
But what can you do if you find yourself the victim of a wrongful arrest?
Keep reading to learn about false arrests and what you can do to reduce the damage to your life and help you recover from this fiasco in no time.
What Is a Wrongful Arrest?
If a law enforcement officer places you under arrest without a legal reason to do so, that's called a false arrest. The cops cannot arrest people whenever they feel like it! They need to have a good reason to do so.
During the arrest, it's critical that you do not resist arrest! Trying to fight the police will make matters worse for you in court and could result in extra charges that you are guilty of.
A police officer can have a warrant that is invalid. If they use that warrant to detain you, it's still considered a false arrest.
What Can You Do to Combat the Arrest?
After the police arrest you without legal standing, you have a few options. You can choose to do a combination of these if your particular situation warrants it.
- File a complaint against the arresting officer from the police department
- File a motion to suppress (or throw out) any evidence they collected during the false arrest
- File a lawsuit against the officer/ police department
Talk to your lawyer to decide which method of legal combat would work best in your case.
How to Find a Good Lawyer
You only have so much time to spend on the phone if you're still incarcerated. But, look for recent reviews from other clients and ask around for references from your friends and family.
Get a shortlist together and then call around and do a brief interview before deciding which civil rights lawyer to hire. Whichever attorney connected best with you should get your business because they will end up representing you better than someone who doesn't click with you.
Don't Do the Time if You Didn't Do the Crime
We hope you never have to go through an ordeal where the police arrest you for a crime you didn't commit. This kind of legal issue can leave lasting effects on even an innocent life.
If you do find yourself in this situation, be sure to have a good lawyer in your corner to help you fight the charges and take back your life. It could take some serious time and effort to prove your innocence. But, it's still better than rolling over and taking the punishment you didn't earn!
We hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned a few things about what to do if you become the victim of a wrongful arrest. For more great articles about personal growth, check out the rest of our blog today!