Is refusing to let the police search me an admission of guilt?
Whitney S. Boan Protecting Your Right
Video Transcript
This is a very commonly asked and very concerning question for any lawyer. Many people think that if they don’t cooperate with the police, the police are going to know they’re guilty, or even if they’re not guilty, the police are going to think they’re guilty, and then it’s going to look that way in court. The reality is that you have constitutional rights. You do not have to consent to any search by law enforcement. They may or may not seek other ways of searching you, even without your consent. However, not giving the police your consent is not something that can be used against you to prove that you’re guilty of a crime. If you have any questions about this, please call a lawyer, and find out whether or not you need to allow the police to search something, or whether or not you should exercise your constitutional right to refuse that.