What To Do If You Get Stopped Or Arrested In Santa Ana

What To Do If You Get Stopped Or Arrested

The Santa Ana Police Department would usually stop someone when there is something suspicious, like some serious criminal activity going on in the area and the police is chasing after unknown criminal. However, police can also stop someone for a routine check, like in the early Saturday morning after the night clubs get closed. This is the situation where many drunk teenagers get in their car and do not consider possible consequences. You can also be stopped if committed some type of traffic violation or if the police officer believes that you are driving in the certain way to drag his attention. Overall, the police in Orange County do not stop someone with no reason. If you are stopped and know you are about to be arrested, you can have your friend contact a reputable Santa Ana bail bonds company. Remember, if you have been detained for Driving Under the Influence, you always have the right to call an Orange County DUI lawyer.

Cooperation is always a positive thing

OK, we all know that “nice words can open the door made of steel”. Note that many crazies are out there and the police have to deal with all kinds of people, so they do not know you personally. A good first impression is very important. Ones you get stopped by the police, be polite and cooperative. That will create positive environment even if you have committed a crime. Note that police officer has the right to make common questions even without arresting you officially. Most of the time, they ask questions to verify your identity. There is a difference between a “Terry Stop” and arrest. “Terry Stop” is the most common thing when someone commits an infraction or traffic violation at the misdemeanor level. The majority of these violations end with the police officer writing the ticket with promise to appear at the Orange county Court. Some of the violations can be taken care of even without appearing upfront of the judge by paying the ticket before the certain due date.
On the other hand, being arrested means that you have to remain at the certain location for some period of time. Not all arrests are even official. The police officer does not have to “lock you up” in the Santa Ana Jail in the order for the arrest to be official. Most of the time, police officer will read the suspect his “Miranda Rights” during the arrest, but he does not have to. Cooperation is also important when dealing with any Orange County bail bonds agent.

“Search” as one of the most questionable things at the point of arrest

If the police officer asks you for permission to “search” you, you do not have to approve it. However, the police officer has the right to proceed even without your approval if he is looking for the evidence of criminal activity. The Police officer might also obtain something known as a “search warrant” which gives him the authority to enter your property even without your approval.
Many times, during the “Terry Stop”, police officer may ask for the permission to search you and your vehicle. At that point, many of us even forget what we carry inside of our car. There could be the whole list of a contraband which we might be carrying with us without even knowing. A good example would be the knife which we took with us a few weeks ago to cut some wire under the hood, but we left the knife inside of the vehicle and totally forgot about it. Another good example would be the bottle of liquor with an open top. Let’s not talk about long time forgotten illegal drugs dropped right next to the seat. If any items are seized during the search, those items will not qualify to be used as collateral when dealing with a Santa Ana bail bonds representative.

Detained for not appearing at the Court

It happened many times, during the “Terry Stop”, for police officer to find out that the driver has a warrant for arrest. The most common thing is failure to appear at the Orange County Court. This often happens after the person has been bailed out using Santa Ana Bail Bonds. Once the warrant for arrest is issued – the person can be arrested and brought upfront of the Judge at any time.

Misdemeanor vs. Felony offenses

Most of the misdemeanor offenses end by warrantless arrests, especially if they were committed while the police officer was present. On the other hand, all felonies lead to unconditional arrest. From that point on, the case goes to the Orange County District Attorney who decides if he is going to charge the person with lesser crime, such a misdemeanor or proceed with the felony charge upfront of the Court. Our Orange County bail bonds agents routinely deal with felony arrests.

Legal and illegal arrest

Even if you were illegally arrested, in other words – if the arrest was not done according to the rules, evidence gained during the arrest procedure could be taken as admissible at the Court. All the evidence can be taken into consideration including the one that came out of “inventory search” right before the car got impounded.

Resisting arrest as the worse possible choice

One of the things that we should never do if we ever get in the situation to be arrested is to resist. Resisting an arrest gives authority to the police to use force especially if the force has been used from the side of a suspect. Small problem can lead to much bigger one. Additional charges could be also filled, such as assault or battery on police officer.

Right to remain silent

This is well known fact that we see in many movies when the police officer reads “Miranda rights” to the person arrested. Many times, might be the smartest thing to remain silent, contact an Orange County Bail Bonds agent, and hire an Attorney. This type of rule does not apply only to criminal matters. The same thing would be with immigration matters: You do not have to talk at the time of arrest, by simply confirming that you are waiting for your Attorney to be present. If an immigration warrant has been issued and immigration officer came to your door – you don’t have to open and let them in, unless they carry specific type of warrant with them. At that point, you can request for the warrant to be slipped under the door or held next to the window in the order for you to inspect it.

Never pretend that you are someone else

It is very important not to misrepresent yourself or use someone else’s documents to claim identity. This would definitely lead to additional charges and consequences when the time comes for the Court hearing.

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by Chuck Portola