What To Do When The Westchester Police Call

From our White Plains office, our Westchester criminal defense lawyers have defended all types of criminal cases from all of the Westchester criminal courts. One of the most frequent calls our White Plains criminal defense lawyers get is – I just got a call from the police, they say I have to come talk to them, What do I do?

The answer is to call an experienced criminal defense lawyer right away. Usually, if the police, a district attorney or an assistant attorney general calls you, you are the target of a criminal investigation. The police often have a hunch or a suspicion that you did something, but they don’t know. Other times, they don’t know how guilty or involved in the criminal activity you are. The reason they want you to come in is that they want you to incriminate yourself. They want you to tell them what you did, so they can prosecute you. The police are not your friend and no matter what they say, you are not better off by incriminating yourself. What the police don’t tell you is that you have every right not to talk to them. You have a Fifth Amendment Right not to incriminate yourself. Often, without your confession or statement as they call it, the police do not have enough evidence to prosecute you. So by remaining silent, you are protecting yourself.

If you have been contacted by the police, the best course of action is always to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney to protect you. Our Westchester criminal defense lawyers have seen egregious tactics used by the police, sometimes to extract a coerced and even false confession. These tactics are especially common in rape allegation cases, especially with young defendants. These police know that they can often trick and manipulate young scared kids into saying almost anything. We have seen interrogations last hours, in which innocent people are threatened that if they don’t give the police the information they want, they will be arrested. We have seen suspects who tell the police the truth, told that they are lying and that unless they adopt the police officers’ version of the events, they will not be going home. They are then lied to and told that if they cooperate and admit what they did, things will go easier, if not, they will be charged with more serious charges. We have even seen officers tell suspects that they had evidence, such as DNA or witnesses, that they don’t, which makes it seem pointless to not admit to something, especially when combined with threats. These tactics put pressure on the suspect to explain evidence which does not in fact exist. It is never a good idea to go into the Lion’s den.

By calling a criminal defense attorney, you put a barrier between you and the police and preserve your defenses. If the police and the Westchester prosecutors have enough to prosecute you, you are not going to talk yourself out of it anyway. If you are going to be arrested, our attorneys can arrange a surrender, so that you completely avoid any interrogation. If you were contacted by the police, call our White Plains criminal defense lawyers immediately. Even if you suspect that the police may be contacting you, it is advisable to have an attorney retained in case you are arrested. Consultations are always free.

The Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC

Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC

The Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC, has been helping injured victims recover compensation for their injuries for over a decade. Our attorneys are members of several prestigious organizations, including: 

  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • American Association for Justice
  • New York County Bar Association
  • Westchester County Bar Association

To request your free initial consultation with our team, call our New York City office at (212) 858-0503 or our White Plains office at (914) 574-8330. You can also request a case review online.

Contact Us Today

Rate, Review & Explore

Social Accounts Sprite
About Us
Our Locations
Personal Injury
Construction Accidents
Auto Accidents

About Us

Our Locations

Personal Injury

Construction Accidents

Auto Accidents

Google map image of our location in 18 W 33rd St Ste 400 New York, NY

New York Office

18 W 33rd St
Ste 400
New York, NY 10001

Open Today 8:30am - 6:00pm

Google map image of our location in 203 E Post Rd  White Plains, NY

White Plains Office

203 E Post Rd
White Plains, NY 10601

Open Today 8:30am - 6:00pm

Tell us a bit about yourself...

(212) 858-0503 Send a message