Why Would Police Be Looking For Me

Why Would An Officer Be Looking For Me At A Friends House

I had a friends sister e-mail me and call me telling me that an officer went to her brothers house asking for me and said that I used his address. I have no idea what my friends address is and the only thing that I have ever used his name on in the past was his name and phone number for job applications. I have searched my state for warrants under my name and nothing comes up saying there is a warrant for my arrest. What could this be? And what can I do. Apparently from what she said, I will be served tomorrow. On top of that my phone number is new. Howd they get it?

Asked on January 8, 2011 under Criminal Law, Nebraska

Do I Have To Consent To Letting The Officers Search My Home

• Unless officers have a search warrant or there is an emergency, you can say no to a search, tell the officers what room they can and can’t search, and take away your consent at any time.

• If the officers are looking for evidence of a crime, the officers are required to advise you of these rights, which are called Ferrier warnings.

Arrest Or Criminal Summons

If the police believe they have enough evidence that you committed a crime, they may go before a magistrate or judge and ask for a warrant for your arrest. If you are accused of a felony, the police or agency may hand over the case to a local or federal prosecutor.

However, in North Carolina, instead of being arrested for a state-level offense, you may receive a criminal summons that requires you to appear in court. The police may go before a magistrate and present evidence that you committed an infraction or a crime. The magistrate can then sign a criminal summons, which requires you to appear in court and answer questions about the charges.

If you receive a criminal summons, call a lawyer immediately. If you ignore the summons and do not go to court, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

Don’t Miss: What Cities Have Defunded Police

What Are Exigent Circumstances

Exigent circumstances give the police the ability to enter your home with neither your consent nor a warrant in situations where getting a warrant would be impractical. While the definition can be complicated, generally, exigent circumstances are when police need to enter your home for a specific reason, including:

• To prevent physical harm to the officers themselves or others.

• To keep relevant evidence in a crime from being destroyed.

• To prevent a suspect from escaping.

• To continue the hot pursuit of a suspect.

This can sometimes be complicated, Rudovsky says, because in some cases police have created that exigency to go in. Generally, he adds, the Supreme Court has ruled that sometimes exigencies are validly created, and police can come in if your response creates more suspicion, he adds. That could mean continuous flushing of toilets or the sounds of people trying to get out a back window.

So The Police Are At My Door: What Do I Do

As a large law firm that practices strictly criminal defence work, we get a lot of calls from frantic individuals along the lines of, The police are at my door what should I do? When the police show up at your door, there is often not much time to react. The few individuals who do get to speak to a lawyer before answering the door are rare. This blog post attempts to outline your legal rights and responsibilities if the police come to your door.

As with all members of the public, the police have an implied right to approach the front door of a residence and knock for the purpose of convenient communication with the occupants however, this implied license ends at the door. The police may knock and announce their presence at your door but, unless they have a warrant, you are not required to open the door, to answer any questions, or to cooperate with the police in any fashion.

Recommended Reading: How To File A Police Report In California

Cellphones And Privacy Rights In Digital Data

After an arrest, officers are allowed to search people and any containers on or immediately around them. But lower courts across the country couldn’t agree as to whether this kind of search reasonably extended to cellphones. Some said that mobile phone searches required warrants, while others said they didn’t.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court found that a cellphone is entirely unlike a typical containerfor instance, a cigarette pack. Sure, both might contain evidence, but that evidence is physical in one instance and digital in the other. And the digital evidence that cellphones hold is both vast and tremendously personal. Today’s smartphones hold anything from bank and medical records to intimate text messages to data that tracks the owner’s location.

Plus, as the Court explained, data revealed by a cellphone may not actually be stored on it. With cloud computing, the information might actually live on a remote server. The fact that cellphones may not even “contain” the information they display is another way in which the cigarette-pack analogy falls short.

Am I Allowed To Lie To The Police

No. While you have the right to remain silent, you do not have the right to lie to the police. Lying to a police officer who is investigating an offence may constitute obstructing a peace officer or obstruction of justice. These are serious criminal offences in themselves. If you are charged with an offence, lying to police will also hurt your ability to defend yourself in court.

Recommended Reading: Can Police Track Textnow Numbers

Consenting To A Search

The police can also search you if you give them “informed consent”. This means you understand the possible consequences of the search and you agree to let them search you. The search must be limited to whatyou have consented to. The police must tell you the reasons why they want to search. But when they ask for your consent, the police only have to give the reasons they know about at the time.

So if you do not put limits on how the police can use what they find, they may be able to use it against you in the future. For example, they could keep a DNA sample that you give them and check it in a futureinvestigation.

Can You Really Prevent A Criminal Charge

Not in every case, but absolutely, it often works out that way. If the police simply dont get enough evidence, then they cant charge anyone. The case may simply never happen.

And if you do still get charged, it was almost certainly going to happen anyway and was not avoidable. So we move on to other defenses and ways to beat the case.

You May Like: How Much Does A Military Police Officer Make A Year

Will Be Charges Be Dismissed Because Of An Illegal Search

Not necessarily, but it is possible for evidence that was obtained illegally will be suppressed at trial, which could lead to dismissal of charges.

On the other hand, an illegal search is not a grant of immunity from prosecution. Police might have enough evidence to support a conviction. Or they may find some exception to the exclusionary rule that would allow them to present the evidence uncovered during an illegal search.

What Should I Do If The Police Want To Talk To Me

I recommend that you should not speak to the police on any criminal investigation all without an attorney.

Remember, you are never obligated to talk to the police. But they may keep calling if they want to question you, for whatever reason.

They can come to your home, or your work and the continuous requests and contacts they make can be quite threatening and intimidating. They are calling to you gather evidence for a case, very possibly against you.

Read Also: What Age Can I Become A Police Officer

Analyzes Situations And Does Not Jump To Conclusions Or Take Fact For Granted

Many questions that involve the safety of self or others, or appear at first hearing to involve some clear-cut principle, actually do not contain enough information to make an intelligent choice.

It is important that the applicant not be misled by circumstances into quick, emotional responses. Does the applicant carefully listen to all the facts before reaching a conclusion and answering? Do they start to answer even before all the facts are presented? Do they take a few moments to analyze difficult circumstances or quickly answer on the 1 or 2 most obvious facts?

What Powers Do Police Gain From A Search Warrant

A search warrant gives the police the legal authority to enter a premise without the permission of the owner. They have permission to search for the evidence listed in the warrant in the places authorized by the warrant.

For example, if the search warrant allows the police to search the bathroom of a home for illegal drugs, then the police should confine their search to the bathroom.

There are some exceptions to this search warrant rule which routinely allow police to conduct a wider search than allowed by the written search warrant.

• Police can search beyond the scope of the search warrant to ensure their own safety and the safety of others
• Police can search widely to stop the destruction of evidence
• Police can look for evidence beyond the scope of the original search warrant because their initial search revealed that there may be additional evidence in other locations on the property
• Police may search for more evidence based on evidence that is in plain view

You May Like: How To Check If Someone Is Wanted By Police

Why Would State Police Be Looking For Someone

They may be investigating a crime, safety threat, pursuing a suspect, looking for a missing person or someone in need of protection, or may have received a complaint from the public. All of the general rules of behavior for a stop on the street or in a car also apply when the police come to your home or office.

If you are talking about only State Police or Highway Patrol, then I would say it would be between Virginia State Police, New Jersey State Police, and Massachusetts State Police academies. Those three are the longest and the most militaristic and disciplined.

Moreover, How long is VA State Police Academy?

Each basic session consists of 33 weeks of training, to include: Fourteen weeks of basic classroom instruction. Four weeks of field training in their home county with an experienced Field Training Officer An additional 15 weeks of classroom instruction.

Secondly, How do I contact Virginia State Police?

Simply so, What state has the hardest Police Academy?

If you are talking about only State Police or Highway Patrol, then I would say it would be between Virginia State Police, New Jersey State Police, and Massachusetts State Police academies. Those three are the longest and the most militaristic and disciplined.

How much do VA state troopers make?

At What Point Are Police Considered To Be Searching

Police conduct a search when they are looking for evidence or contraband. If evidence is found, but the defense claims that the search was illegal, the court will consider two questions:

The expectation of privacy distinguishes what makes a warrantless search unreasonable. The “plain view” doctrine is the other side of this coin. Contraband or evidence that is easily visible to an officer standing outside a vehicle during a traffic stop, or at the front door of an apartment, is an example of “plain view.”

If the person being “searched” was not keeping the contraband private, or if the expectation of privacy was not reasonable, then there was no “search” for purposes of the Fourth Amendment.

Recommended Reading: How To Support Local Police

Aif Police Come To Your Home:

Why Would A Sheriff Show Up At Your House

4.4/5sheriff could

Likewise, people ask, why would a sheriff come to your house with papers?

To serve you papers. You are being sued, for money, for divorce, for eviction, or you failed to do something required by law. Like show up in court, pay fines, or answer a summons. You are being summoned to appear.

Secondly, why would a sheriff be at my door? It’s someone with a summons, subpoena, or warrant for YOU. It could be the sheriff, marshal, or other peace officer, a process server, someone you know or a stranger. The person at the door is ‘serving’ you with a legal document, such as a summons, subpoena, warrant, or writ.

One may also ask, how do you find out why a sheriff is looking for you?

How to Find Out If You Have a Warrant

What happens when a sheriff serves you papers?

The sheriff or constable will give the papers to the person you are taking to court. After the sheriff or constable serves the papers, they return the original summons to you. This is called making “return of service.” Take the summons back to the court as soon as you get it from the sheriff.

Recommended Reading: How To Be A Better Police Officer

If You Are A Person Of Interest In A Crime And The Police Ask You To Come In For An Interview Do You Go No

I had a client call me last week with a problem. Her nephew was being accused of assaulting a neighbor. There were no witnesses to the alleged event, so it was her nephews word against the word of the alleged victim. The reason that my client called was that the Police called the nephew and requested that he come in to the Police Station for an interview. My client wanted to know Should my nephew go in for the interview. My answer was a resounding NO!

Why not? Here is the problem. Chances are the reason that the Police want to interview someone is to fill in the gaps in their case. They hope that they can even get a confession. Why help them solidify their case? Something that you say can be misinterpreted and used against you.

You say Maybe I can go in and clear the air and the charges will not be pursued. Well, that sounds nice, but, think about it. If the Police had enough to charge you without interviewing you, they would have done so already. The interview may be just what they need to complete their Statement of Charges.

So, if you get a call from the Police asking for you to come in and discuss charges against you, here is my general rule- JUST SAY NO!!!!!

PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PRACTICE LAW OUTSIDE OF MARYLAND. THEREFORE, YOU MUST CONSULT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE ABOUT HOW TO PROCEED WHEN THE POLICE ASK YOU TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

Why Would A Private Investigator Be Looking For Me

You get a message, phone call, or an email and it appears to be from a person calling themselves a private investigator or private detective. You immediately ask yourself, Why would a private investigator be looking for me?. Well, there are a few reasons which well go through here.

First, if a private investigator calls you and actually says they are a private investigator, then it is most likely one of the following 4 situations:

Also Check: How To Leave An Anonymous Tip To The Police