Criminal Investigations

Are You Under Investigation by the Police? If So, You Need a Lawyer.

A common mistake people make is hiring a criminal defense attorney after they get arrested or charged for a crime. While it is important to have a lawyer represent you during these instances, you must get a lawyer before you get arrested or charged. Thus, you need legal defense as soon as you know or believe you are under investigation for a crime.

From Gal's interview for the Masters of the Courtroom series on ReelLawyers.com.

This is because your rights could get violated at any point in the investigative process. For example, an officer may have unlawfully searched your home or vehicle without obtaining a warrant and seized your property to be used as evidence. Maybe they failed to read your Miranda Rights before interrogating you. These common violations have devastating outcomes for the accused, which is why you need an attorney to help prevent these violations or leverage them as a way to get your charges reduced or dropped. Your case may even get dismissed altogether.

Reasons for Criminal Investigations

It can be frightening to learn or think you are under investigation for a crime. It may feel like you’re “walking on eggshells” in your daily life, not knowing what to do or how to act. However, you should keep in mind that the purpose of a criminal investigation is not to frame you for a crime but rather:

• Develop sufficient factual information so the prosecutor can fairly and objectively determine whether and what charges should be brought about
• Guard against the prosecution of the innocent
• Develop legally admissible evidence to convict the guilty and warrant prosecution

Police Investigation Process

With this in mind, it may benefit you to learn the steps in a police investigation to better understand what you may be up against. Remember that even if you are or may be under investigation, that does not mean you are automatically getting charged with a crime nor guilty of one. The purpose of a police investigation is to confirm the suspicion that a person might be guilty of a crime.