Many police officers in Las Vegas have a reputation for assuming the worst about each individual that they encounter. Too often, they forget that a U.S. citizen must be assumed "innocent until proven guilty." For you, this translates into a situation in which you need a Clark County law expert at your side as soon as you are contacted by the police department, even if you are innocent. If you do not have a lawyer assisting you during questioning, the police and prosecuting attorney are likely to use every technique in the book to draw you into self-incrimination even before placing you under arrest. Some of these valid techniques may surprise you.
False Sense of Assurance
If you are innocent of committing a crime, you might think that there is no need for you to hire legal counsel. Simply being present in a home where a drug bust occurred, for example, does not make you a criminal. A police officer will often assure you that you should save the expense of hiring a lawyer, since your innocence is sure to come out during questioning or later during the trial. What you don't know is that the prosecutor will be able to use your own words and the circumstantial evidence to build a case against you that is likely to convince the judge of your guilt. Without a capable attorney to counter the prosecution, you will have no way to effectively defend yourself. Even if you are innocent, you need the help of someone who knows the process on your side.
Deception
Did you know that police officers are allowed to deliberately lie to you? Past court decisions have ruled that any statements given by an individual are valid as evidence in court, even if those statements were made in response to faulty or deceptive information given by police. If the police can give you a false impression of how the legal process will play out; what you should expect during questioning; or what your chances are of getting out from under criminal charges, they can get you to the point where you will feel free to give out information making you look guilty. Rather than taking the word of police officers, you need to have the guidance of a defense attorney who can tell you what is really around the corner and what you need to do to protect yourself.
