There’s an old saying among attorneys: the lawyer who represents himself (or herself) has a fool for a client. This is because rarely can the person who is the subject of a case or a defendant in a criminal proceeding be completely objective.
The same can be said of police officers accused of domestic violence. Because an officer knows how the booking process works, how such cases may be investigated and knows scores of fellow officers, he or she can just “talk things out” with investigators and avoid a criminal charge.
This thinking is simply wrong, and could have a detrimental effect on one’s career. Because of this, there are a number of things officers should know before speaking with an investigator.
There is no such thing as “simple conversation” – Chances are that the “simple conversation” offered by the investigator is geared towards developing facts against you to charge you with a crime. The same applies with requests to “hear your side of the story.”
Recanting victims are not reliable – Indeed, the spouse or significant other who made the complaint may feel terrible about getting you in trouble and may not want to proceed, but they may not have a choice in whether charges are carried forward.
Felony charges are only supposed to scare me – Quite frankly, if you are facing a felony, you should be concerned. This is definitely the time to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney.
The preceding is not legal advice. However, we invite questions about your individual situation.
