It is critically important to consult an attorney any time the police want to talk to you. Even if it does not appear that you are a focus of the investigation, it is certainly possible and in many cases probable that you may become the focus of investigation eventually once you have talked to the police. For this reason, it is imperative that if contacted by law enforcement, even as a witness, that you speak to a Virginia criminal witness lawyer as soon as possible before answering any questions. A criminal attorney in Virginia will be able to ensure that you don’t incriminate yourself at any point and that you are not being set up to be investigated for something later on.
The police in NoVa may tell an individual that they are not the focus of the investigation in an effort to get them to lower their guard, and then ask them a series of incriminating questions which will lead to criminal charges. Most people are not aware that the police are allowed to lie to you and deceive you in order to gain evidence against you.
Police are trained in tactics for tricking people into providing incriminating information, including getting them to make inconsistent statements. An individual should simply not talk to police officers who are expert in this kind of area and have skills that can be used to the detriment of the defendant, without the help and advice of a lawyer who is familiar with these scenarios.
Any time an investigation is going on, whether it is focused on a friend, associate or a number of people including you, or even if you believe it does not include you, you should know that talking to the police and giving testimony in court can potentially incriminate you.
Just because you are cooperating with the police in investigating someone else or because you provide testimony in court does not necessarily mean you have immunity against being charged in connection with that situation, unless you have a specific agreement to that effect. In fact, by cooperating with police you may be making statements to them or giving testimony that incriminates you. These statements cannot be taken back and will in fact be used against you later in a separate prosecution for separate charges against you. For this reason, consulting with a criminal witness lawyer in NoVa is in your best interest even if you don’t think you are being investigated.
One of the deceptive tactics that police and prosecutors use on witnesses is to tell them there will be few consequences to them testifying in court.
There may be real-world consequences outside of court for giving testimony. There may also be legal consequences for giving testimony in court. Again, the police can lie to people and promise or say any number of things to trick them into cooperating. Because the police do not have the ability to bind the prosecution to an agreement, they can say almost anything.
A person may then cooperate to their detriment. Prosecutors can bind the government, but keep in mind that they are also lawyers and they may make statements that lead a person to believe they are protected or immune, but are sufficiently broad or vague that the agreement would not later be enforceable in court. Therefore to ensure your protection call a Virginia criminal witness lawyer today.
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