All throughout our site, we try to emphasize the importance of exercising your right to remain silent when it comes to talking to the police in Fort Collins. When they say, “what you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” they mean it. Things are very easily taken out of context and in trying to defend yourself, you can make things significantly worse.
Not Talking to the Police: Why It’s the Best Choice
A humorous story I came across the other day stressed this point exactly. A man in Tennessee was at a restaurant with a friend talking about his drug dealer and doing drugs. Unfortunately for him, he had butt-dialed 911 and the entire call was recorded. Police were able to trace the call and catch the men as they were leaving, finding enough marijuana and drug paraphernalia to arrest the accidental caller and charge him with possession.
Now this is an extreme example, seeing as the man didn’t really volunteer any information, but there isn’t much room for him to fight the charges. Without this call, would the police have caught him? Probably not. In fact, the only reason they were able to stop him at all was because one of the headlights was out in the car, so they pulled the man and his friend over for a routine traffic stop and searched the car to find the drugs. Technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong by just talking about doing drugs and connecting with a drug dealer, but his accidental call led the police to look into things and find a reason to arrest him.
But I’m Innocent!
[pullquote align=”left” textalign=”center” width=”40%”]It may be tempting to try and explain yourself.[/pullquote]It may be tempting to try and explain yourself. You may think that since you have done nothing wrong, telling your side of the story would clear things up. This could not be farther from the truth. The Larimer County Sherriff will try to trip you up and get you to admit to things that you didn’t do. They may try to act like they are on your side to get you to let your guard down, when in reality they are not out to help you.
Why You Need a Lawyer to Defend You
Until you hire a skilled lawyer, it is imperative that you refrain from speaking to any law enforcement agents or District Attorneys. Our experienced lawyers at the O’Malley Law Office have been trained to be your voice when it comes to talking about your charges with the police or District Attorneys in Larimer, Boulder or Grand County. Let us take the pressure off of you. We can intervene when officials try to speak with you, and generally once they know you are represented, they don’t even bother. Give yourself the best chance to beat your charges by remaining silent.