What to do if you are arrested?

Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center can help you with any criminal case. Under criminal law, you have a right to speak to an attorney, and we are available 24 hours a day to help you. Someone from our San Diego office will take your call.

Please call us toll free at 1-800-508-0000 immediately.

When you are arrested, you are sometimes taken into custody. This means that you are not free to leave the scene. Without being arrested, you can be detained, however, or held for questioning for a short time if a police officer or other person believes you may be involved in a crime. For example, an officer may detain you if you are carrying a large box near a burglary site. You can also be detained by storekeepers if they suspect you have stolen something.

Whether you are arrested or detained, under criminal law you do not have to answer any questions except to give your name and address and show some identification if requested. Contact a criminal defense lawyer at our San Diego practice before answering any other questions.

Please use the menu below to select criminal law topics, which are questions and answers related to criminal arrest.

What Rights Do I Have?

Whether you are an adult citizen or non-citizen, under criminal law you have certain rights if you are arrested.

Before the law enforcement officer questions you, he or she should tell you that:

1. You have the right to remain silent.

2. Anything you say may be used against you.

3. You have a right to have a lawyer present while you are questioned.

4. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you.

These are your "Miranda" rights, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. If you are not given these warnings, your lawyer can ask that any statements you made to the police not be used against you in court. But this does not necessarily mean that your case will be dismissed. This does not apply if you volunteer information without being questioned by the police. If you believe your rights were violated, consult a criminal defense attorney about the law.

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Once I Am Told My Rights, Can I be Questioned?

You can be questioned, without a lawyer present, only if you voluntarily give up your rights and if you understand what you are giving up. If you agree to the questioning, then change your mind, questioning must stop as soon as you say that you want a lawyer. If the questioning continues after you request a lawyer and you continue to talk, your answers can be used against you if you testify to something different. It is critical that you understand this aspect of criminal law. San Diego residents can contact Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center for legal representation during questioning.

You may be required to give certain physical evidence. For example, if you are suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol you may be requested to take a test to measure the amount of alcohol in your system. If you refuse to take the test, your driver's license will be suspended and the refusal will be used against you in court.

Once you are booked, meaning your arrest is written into official police records and you are fingerprinted and photographed, you have a right to make and complete a telephone call within the local dialing area. Directly or indirectly contact Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center, an experienced criminal law firm serving San Diego County.

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When Should I See a Lawyer?

If you are arrested for a crime, particularly a serious one, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible. He or she understands criminal law, and has a better sense of what you should and should not say to law enforcement officers to avoid being misinterpreted or misunderstood. The lawyer also can advise you or your family or friends on the bail process.

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Who Can Arrest Me?

All law enforcement officers - such as police officers, county sheriff officers, investigators in a county attorney's or an attorney general's offices, and highway patrol officers - can arrest you whether they are on or off duty, in most cases. A probation or parole officer also can arrest you.

They can arrest you - even if they do not have an arrest warrant - if there is probable cause or good reason to believe you committed a felony, such as armed robbery (A felony is a crime of a more serious nature than a misdemeanor, usually punishable by imprisonment for more than a year). According to criminal law statutes, arrestors do not have to see you commit a felony in order to arrest you. They do, however, have to see you commit a misdemeanor in order to arrest you.

If you commit an infraction, instead of being taken into custody, you may be asked to sign a citation or notice. This applies for a minor offense, such as a moving violation, where the punishment is usually a fine. If you sign the citation, you are not admitting guilt; you are only promising to appear in court. If you have no identification or refuse to sign, however, an officer may take you into custody.

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Can Someone Other Than a Police Officer Arrest Me?

Any person, such as a private security guard, can make a citizen's arrest if they see a misdemeanor being attempted or committed (A misdemeanor is a criminal offense, usually punishable with a fine or short jail term). They also can make a legal arrest for a felony as long as it actually was committed and they have good reason to believe you did it. They must take you to a police officer or judge who is required by law to take you into custody. To learn more about this area of criminal law, call our office in San Diego.

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When Is an Arrest Warrant Used?

Usually a warrant is required before you can be taken into custody from your home. But you can be arrested at home without a warrant if fast action is needed to prevent you from escaping, destroying evidence, endangering someone's life or seriously damaging property.

The warrant must be signed by a judge, who must have good reason to believe that you, whom the warrant names, committed a crime. If your name is unknown, "John Doe" can be used on the warrant - along with your description.

Once an arrest warrant is issued, any law enforcement officer in the state can arrest you - even if the officer does not have a copy of the warrant. Generally, there is no time limit on using a warrant to make an arrest.

Before entering your home, a law enforcement officer must knock and identify himself or herself and tell you that you are going to be arrested. If you refuse to open the door - or if there is another good reason - the officer can break in through a door or window.

If the police have an arrest warrant, you should be allowed to see it. If they don't have the warrant with them, you should be allowed to see it as soon as practical.

The police may search the area within your reach. If you are arrested outdoors, they may not search your home or car.

Under criminal law, resisting an arrest or detention is a crime. If you resist arrest, you can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony in addition to the crime for which you are being arrested. If you resist, an officer can use force to overcome your resistance or prevent your escape. The officer can even use deadly force to prevent great bodily injury. If you have questions about how this area of criminal law applies to your case, schedule a consultation at our San Diego practice.

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When Can I Be Released?

If, during the questioning and before a charge is filed, the police are convinced that you have not committed a crime, they will give you a written release. Your arrest then will be considered a detention and not recorded as an arrest.

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What Is Bail, and How Is It Set?

The amount of bail - money or other security deposited with the court to insure that you will appear - is set by a schedule in each county. You may be notified that you can forfeit or give up bail instead of appearing in court if you receive a traffic citation. However, if you have any doubt, go to court so a warrant is not issued for your arrest for failing to appear. Bail forfeiture does not apply to misdemeanors or felonies. Forfeiting bail does not mean that the charges are dropped and usually works as a conviction for a traffic offense.

Officers at the jail may be able to accept bail. If you cannot post or put up the bail, you will be kept in custody. Depending on where you are arrested, you may have the opportunity to request a bail reduction through a bail commissioner.

When you are taken to court for bail setting or release, the judge will consider the seriousness of the offense you are charged with, any prior failures to appear (even for traffic tickets), any previous record, your connections to the community, as well as the probability that you will appear in court. The amount of bail is set according to a written schedule based on your charges. The law presumes you are guilty of the charges for purposes of setting bail or release.

Instead of paying bail, you might be released on your own recognizance or "O.R." (or supervised O.R.). This means that you do not have to pay bail because the judge believes that you will show up for court appearances without bail. To learn more about bail, contact the criminal law experts at Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center in San Diego.

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Who Maintains Arrest Records, and What Do They Include?

Local police departments, the State Department of Public Safety and the F.B.I. in Washington keep arrest records. According to criminal law, they cannot show them to anyone except law enforcement officers and may only show records of your convictions to certain licensing agencies, which have a right by state law to investigate your criminal background.

The arrest record includes when and why you were arrested, whether the charges against you were dropped or whether you were convicted of the charges, and the subsequent sentence imposed. Both pleading guilty and being found guilty after a trial count as convictions.

If you are convicted of certain crimes and stay out of trouble, you are able to have the conviction set aside. If you are convicted of certain felonies and you successfully complete probation, you can have the felony reduced to a misdemeanor on your record.

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When Can an Officer Conduct a Search?

An officer always may only make a search with either your consent or a search warrant. You have a right, however, to see the warrant before the search begins.

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When Can an Officer Search You, Your Home, or Your Car Without a Warrant?

Body Searches - If you are arrested, an officer can search you, without a warrant, for weapons, evidence or illegal or stolen goods. Strip searches should not be conducted for offenses that do not involve weapons, drugs or violence (unless police reasonably suspect you are concealing a weapon or illegal goods and they have authorization from the supervising officer on duty). If you are booked and jailed, you may undergo a full body search, including body cavities.

Home Searches - In emergencies, such as when an officer may be trying to prevent someone from destroying evidence, your home can be searched without your consent and without a warrant. If you are taken into custody in your home, an officer without a warrant can search only the limited area in which you are arrested. Other rooms - and even other parts of the same room - are off limits, unless the officer believes that other suspects are hiding in other rooms. While searching your home, an officer can seize evidence of any crime, such as stolen property or drugs that is in plain sight.

Car Searches - Your car and trunk can be searched without your consent or a warrant if an officer has good reason to believe it contains illegal or stolen goods or evidence. If the police stop your car for any legal reason - such as a broken taillight - they can take any illegal goods in plain sight.

If you, your home or your car are searched illegally, a judge might say that any evidence found during the search cannot be used against you in court. If you or your lawyer, however, do not object to the evidence before trial, the court might allow the evidence to be used. Even if the judge does decide that the evidence cannot be used against you, that does not always mean that your case will be dismissed.

The purpose of this section is to provide general information on the law, which is subject to change. If you have a specific legal problem, please contact our firm immediately. Our criminal defense lawyers know the law. San Diego residents can trust Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center to provide top-notch legal representation.

Call us anytime for free information. We will come to you. No office visit required. Or email Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center your questions, and someone will be glad to get back to you. Or visit our Free Consultation page where your accident information can be submitted online.

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Recent Criminal Case Results - All From October 2005

Attorney	Client	Court	Case Type	Result
JGT	DB	Central	Hit & Run/DUI	Suspension Set Aside
JGT	JC	Central	Felony Sexual Battery	Credit for Time Served. No Jail imposed after Alcohol Rehab
JGT	MR	Central	Felony DUI with Great Bodily Injury	Six months Rehab
JGT	LE	Central	Vandalism	No jail / No fines
JGT	ST	Central	Possession of Marijuana	3 month class, case dismissed at end