Hello all,

Just your friendly neighborhood attorney who is also a frequent client, here with some reminders.

• Never talk to the cops. If a cop wants to ruin your day, they're going to. If they want to arrest you, they're going to. Nothing you can say to them will ever change their mind. Nothing you can say to them will ever get you out of being arrested. At best, what you say will be ignored. More likely, they'll use what you say against you. Remember the script from the linked video and stay quiet!

• If you get arrested, be explicit and specific about invoking your right to an attorney. A man was deemed not to have asked for an attorney because he said "I want an attorney, dog." Judge ruled that it wasn't clear if he was asking for an attorney or an attorney-dog. Which is complete bullshit, but the system is unjust and will attempt anything to deny you your rights. "Officer, I'm invoking my right to an attorney. I will not speak anymore until my attorney is present".

• Know which attorney you are going to call in advance. Have the law firm phone number saved in your phone (or better a card in your purse/wallet). You don't need to have spoken with them before or hired them in advance, but have someone you're ready to call and hire.

• Don't set your phone to unlock with your face, finger print, eyes, or anything where you don't have to expend thought to do it. The cops can force you to look at your phone or shove your finger onto it to unlock it. They can't make you give up the passcode or swipe pattern.

• Cops can and do lie. They can lie to you before they identify themselves as law enforcement, they can lie to you while you're being arrested, they can lie to you before and after you've been given your Miranda rights, they can lie to you in an interrogation room, and I can guarantee they'll try to lie in court when theyre under oath. Their promises mean NOTHING, and some dickhead cop who says if you do XYZ they'll let you go is under no obligation to keep his word.

• Always verify clients! If you can get their first and last name, you can check them out for free on most states voter registration sites to confirm they're from where they say they're from. You can also use many state and county's tax appraisal districts to look them up to see if they own the house you're going to (if they're a homeowner and not a renter). If you look up the address and it's been removed, that's a good sign they're in law enforcement (tax appraisal districts let LE remove their information from being publicly accessible for "safety reasons").

Stay safe out there!