Lessons learned from observing the recent incident...

[djg0770 481]

Consider the following and teach these to your family (and feel free to add to the list):

 

1) Someone comes to the door, says "I'm from DYFS (or whomever), I'm investigating a complaint, may I come in..." Be smart, say "No, we can talk out here if you like but you may not enter my home."

2) Call a lawyer, a friend who knows a lawyer, anybody who can get a lawyer on the phone immediately...

3) Get video if you can, even if it means getting someone to get video for you.

4) Get people's names.

5) Keep your mouth shut until you successfully complete #2 above.

 

I have thought of some other things but I'd rather not put them up on the interwebs for everyone to see.

[1LtCAP 4,267]

me personally, there's only ever one other person living at my home....and that's mom. she already knows that no one outside of her personal friends ever enters that house when i'm not there. if i'm asleep, and someone knocks, same thing. if she's got doubts, wake me.....but no one enters. i got nothing to hide.....but my home is my one place where no one comes without my consent. ever.

[Combat Auto 174]

Amen to the above two posts and add the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ to the list of "you shall not pass" also!

 

Seriously, all good advice...Lawyers and camera's are the best way to go.

[Old Dog 19]

Consider the following and teach these to your family (and feel free to add to the list):

 

1) Someone comes to the door, says "I'm from DYFS (or whomever), I'm investigating a complaint, may I come in..." Be smart, say "No, we can talk out here if you like but you may not enter my home."

2) Call a lawyer, a friend who knows a lawyer, anybody who can get a lawyer on the phone immediately...

3) Get video if you can, even if it means getting someone to get video for you.

4) Get people's names.

5) Keep your mouth shut until you successfully complete #2 above.

 

I have thought of some other things but I'd rather not put them up on the interwebs for everyone to see.

 

Most of us cannot get a lawyer after hours. I contacted the Evan Nappen of Florida who wrote the book on Florida gun laws that is used by most LEO training places down here. I told him that I work during the week so more than likely if I had to shoot someone or needed him it would be on a weekend so how do I get ahold of him. I was told to call him on Monday and not to do anything during weekends that required legal assistance. That was it. Most of us cannot afford to keep an attorney on retainer and even if we do that often does not give you 24/7 access to them; at least not at what we can afford to pay them.

 

So I think the most valuable thing to do is just keep your mouth shut. Do not consent to anything because nothing you say will help you and more than likely, taken out of context, can be used against you. Always ask for a search warrant and then go watch TV. They are the ones who have to now work late and convince a Judge to give them a search warrant and if you know you are innocent what justifiable reason can they come up with to get one?

 

Here is something most do not think of but there is no protection in 911 phone calls. Everything you say can and will be used against you. Some attorneys I spoke to advised not talking to 911 if you can get hold of an attorney first. Of course if someone needs medical assistance you can just say that and nothing more. The 911 operators are trained to pull information out of you and it is all recorded. Just look at how the 911 call was twisted and used against Zimmerman. The problem is that if you do not call 911 that can be viewed as acting guilty but remember that they do not grant you immunity for anything you say and this is a legal loophole that needs to be closed. As far as I am concerned, they get the basics and nothing more. I will simply say I am too distraught to gather my thoughts. If pressed by the police my LEO cousin told me to remind the officer that he gets 48 hours before he has to give a statement and doesn't he think you deserve the same chance to get over the shock. Too many people volunteer to speak hoping that it will spare them a night in jail but I have been told that cops know if they are going to arrest you pretty quickly from the physical evidence and nothing you can say is going to change that because it is just your word and you have a vested interest in saying things that put you in a good light.

 

However, my LEO friends tall me people like to babble non stop and dig themselves into a hole by making up little pieces of the story to justify their actions which are later proven to be lies and then used to put their entire testimony in question. Having not been in this situation I cannot attest to the truthfulness of this but dealing with security for my company and catching people stealing things has shown me that they do tend to make up stories so you have to disbelieve everything you are told and go by the evidence on hand.

[vladtepes 1,060]

If officials have the right (warrant) to enter your home.. they are not gently knocking at the door.. they are coming in no matter what.. if they do not have the legal right to enter they will eventually go away..

 

that fact solves a lot of problems before they can even be problem..