Family Life, Manage a Family & Have Some Fun: Book 5. Crime Guide, Crime Job Guide

The "People Power" Family Superbook

Book 5. Crime Guide, Crime Job Guide

(Getting Arrested, Protect Yourself from Crime, Identity Theft; Police - Prison Guard Jobs)

I was mugged when I was about five. An older guy in the neighborhood walked past me, turned around, put me in a headlock and wanted to steal whatever I had but I had nothing on me.

When I was about ten, I'm driving my little bike down the street. Some big black guy jumps on behind me and tells me to stay cool. He pedals about five blocks then gets off. He wanted to get somewhere but he was too stupid to know he was abducting me and scaring the shit out of me. He wasn't aware that he was terrorizing me.

I realized that there are evil people in the world who don't know and don't care when they inflict pain on others.

I act friendly and all that but I don't know who is thinking about sticking a knife in my back. People think they can read people but the con artists and evil doers have perfected their charming exteriors to fool people. They're really good. Just look at all the middle-aged women getting ripped off by con artist lovers who ask them for money and they give it. No self-respecting guy asks a woman for money. If a guy asks you for money, that should be the end of that relationship.

I watch true life crime shows where I see friends and family doing evil things to their supposed close intimates.

I'll bet everybody reading this was ripped off at least three times in their lives.

I used to help homeless people by giving them a place to stay or giving them a maintenance job around my place. I don't anymore because a homeless guy is generally a desperate guy.

People rob other people on the street for the chance of getting a few bucks. They don't know what this random pedestrian walking his dog might have on him but they might kill him for five dollars or even nothing.

I'm a cynical man in general. I believe that if you live 50 years in modern-day United States or Canada and you don't see the greed, selfishness, evil and betrayal regularly in daily life then you have lived in some kind of fantasy world up until now.

I'm friendly and sociable. I act like I trust people but I don't. I don't trust the sales guy at the store, my local politician, the bank manager, the priest or the guy I'm talking to on the street.

If somebody knocks at my door at eleven o'clock at night saying their car broke down and I open it, I'm asking for a crime to be committed against me.

There are certain things you don't do anymore because you can't trust people. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, had a friendly-looking face and manner. Charming evil people quickly learn to use their looks and affable manners to get people off guard then go in for the kill. It happens all the time. Read your local newspaper.

The internet makes it really easy for evil people to hide while committing their evil acts. They could be as impersonal as stealing someone's identity to steal their credit or as despicable as luring someone somewhere on an internet date then doing something against their will. Murders have been commited using this method.

Spam seems harmless but if you answer and buy the product, the spammer now has your credit card or paypal info which he can use to rack many more charges on your account at will. This has happened many times before. Don't buy anything from anyone who doesn't have an established business.

I say take the internet in stride like I do. I live in the real world. The internet exists for me for knowledge and business. I don't bother with social media. When you seek online friendship, you're opening yourself up for trouble.

There are real estate and mortgage scams which I cover in my real estate book.

Go to #362.88-364.50 and 613.66 or HV6250 at the library for books on how to deal with crime.

Book 1. Basic Crime Info

Volume 1. Dealing With the Law

Chapter 1. Deal With The Law 1

Police Duty to Protect People

In the book Dial 911 and Die, attorney Richard W. Stevens writes:

"It was the most shocking thing I learned in law school. I was studying Torts in my first year at the University of San Diego School of Law, when I came upon the case of Hartzler v. City of San Jose. In that case I discovered the secret truth: the government owes no duty to protect individual citizens from criminal attack. Not only did the California courts hold to that rule, the California legislature had enacted a statute to make sure the courts couldn't change the rule."

Stevens cites laws and cases for every state plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada that state if the police fail to protect you, even through incompetence and negligence, you can't sue them for it.

Authorities have no duty to protect individuals.

In eighteen states, citizens have successfully

sued over failure to protect, but only in limited special circumstances.

In its decision of DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, Stevens writes, "the US Supreme Court declared that the Constitution does not impose a duty on the state and local governments to protect the citizens

from criminal harm."

Getting Stopped by the Cops

Don't attract attention to yourself.

If you're stopped by the police, you can't win. In all likelihood, there's a camera on you from the police car. Be humble, polite and respectful. Never bad-mouth a police officer. Stay calm and cooperative. Keep your hands where they can see them. Don't make sudden movements. Ask why you are being stopped.

The golden rule of getting stopped by a cop anywhere is that you will most likely be caught off guard and be intimidated. It might happen so quickly that you will have no time to use the strategy you have thought up beforehand.

Try to be cooperative to a point. They will ask for ID and run a warrants check. They go trolling for random people to try to catch people with warrants. Expect it a few times when you’re young.

Ask him or her if you are being arrested or if he or she has a probable cause to stop you.

If they don't, you used to have a right to walk away but nowadays they got these new laws and a new police state attitude. It’s like you mess with a cop, you’re screwed even if you’re within your rights.

If they hassle you beyond fifteen minutes, tell them if they proceed, you will file a harassment civil lawsuit or at least a complaint.

Or tell the cop you refuse to speak to him. You want to talk to his boss. There is always one cop on staff who's the boss for every shift. There are different titles for him. He could be called the Duty Officer, Duty Sergeant or the Training Officer.

In a nutshell, a cop can stop anyone and ask questions but you don't have to answer unless you're being detained for the investigation of a crime.

In order to be detained, a cop has to have either some suspicion which could be based on almost anything even something as flimsy as you standing in one spot casing a joint out or probable cause which is definite, objective evidence that you're involved in a crime such as information from an informant, the smell of drugs coming from your home, an eye witness who saw you do something or other incriminating things like blood all over your shirt after a knife murder or running away from the scene of a nearby crime.

Cops generally can't detain you for more than 90 minutes while they investigate a situation then they have to cut you loose or arrest you.

An exception to this is if you swallow something. They can keep you up to 48 hours until it's expelled out the back end. They have to have a definite charge to arrest you.

They just can't throw you in jail for suspicion of something although many rogue cops can manufacture cheap charges like Disturbing The Peace, Interfering With A Police Officer or Resisting Arrest.

Realize that many cops are on some kind of ego trip and they got power over you when they stop you so your best bet is to be as polite as possible, cooperate and try to keep it as businesslike as possible.

Don't say stupid things to try to socialize. Don't make it a personal confrontation. Make it as polite and businesslike as posible. Don't try to be his buddy. He will resent you for the cheap ploy.

Cops live on bluff. If a cop stops you, he doesn't know you from Joe Blow so he's checking you out, wondering if you got drugs or warrants. This is his basic life. The cop is reading you to determine if you're a crook.

Your best bet is to act cool like you're not a

crook, you're a good guy who knows what's going on. Don't be arrogant about it. Just let it be known that you'e not a pushover.

Cops rely on 95% of the population being ignorant about their rights. When they see that you're one of the few who knows his rights, they will back off.

Without getting personal, if a cop hassles you, you have to let him know you're innocent, that he's wrong, that you will file a complaint or a case against him or go to the media and put doubt in his mind so that he backs down and lets you off with a warning because he wants you to go away.

If a cop gets bad press, he's turkey to his cop buddies because it's all peer pressure with them so that's your weapon against him - tell him you will give him so much bad press he will wish he had let you go. This could backfire. Only do it if you're going down anyway and you got nothing left to lose.

If a cop asks you something and you hesitate or give him a phony answer which he's trained to detect, he will throw the book at you just to try to get you back. If you pause before answering, he knows you're making it up as you go along or he will ask you a question then ask you another version of the same question five minutes later to try to catch you in a lie.

If you give him a phony name, he will

change the first name and throw you back the last name you gave him to see if you balk at it.

They are looking to see if you stall which means you're making up the story as you go along, stumbling, contradicting yourself.

Cops are trained to arrest people on minor charges and throw them in jail because they know a fingerprint check will often yield a warrant.

If you're clean, it's best to carry some kind of ID on you when you go anywhere because if a cop confronts you and you got no ID, he will throw your ass in jail on a minor charge just to check out your true identity.

Although there is no law that says you have to carry ID on you, I've had at least one cop try to give me the once over when I told him I had no ID on me. He tried to make me feel like a buffoon saying most normal people carry ID. Here I was on my bike on a hot day. This guy stops me for something silly. I can't rememeber what it was for but he ran the name I gave him through his local crime database.

Cops feel great when they catch somebody with a warrant just on random chance. I want you to understand that cops think like this. It's all a game to them - how many punks can I catch today?

There are literally millions of people in this country with warrants, most of them traffic. Cops love to catch warrant suspects which is why they hassle people for minor things and hope to luck in one, especially a felony.

Pay all your traffic tickets and fines so that when a cop stops you and does a computer check, no warrants come up. If you don't settle it, it will usually come up at the worst time like when you're going to the airport to go to Hawaii on vacation.

Don't carry drugs or guns or even knives around. Make sure whatever car you're driving is legal with all lights operational.

Cops aren't allowed to search a vehicle unless you give them consent. They can only search you and what's in your immediate control, not the trunk or a locked box. Keep the key hidden so if they arrest you, they don't use the key on your keyring to illegally open it.

If they arrest you and confiscate the car as inventory, they aren't allowed to open it. You will claim it back when you're released.

If they see illegal things in plain view, they're allowed to search. They may bring a dog to do a sniff test but the truth is that drug residue is everywhere especially on money passed through innocent day to day transactions.

If you have a hatchback and want privacy, the solution is to go to an army surplus store, buy a solid trunk then get it bolted to the walls and the floor and lock it.

A cop is not allowed in there. If you want more privacy, get a locked briefcase. If you're serious, carry a recorder like on your cellphone to tape interactions with the cops.

Don't give the cops any reason to stop you. Don't even make eye contact with cops if on foot or in a vehicle. If a cop sees you looking at him nervously, he knows you're nervous about something.

Don't look. Ignore. Keep going as smoothly as possible. A cop always looks for nervousness. It's a tip-off that you're hiding something. This is a big one. As soon as a cop stops you, he wants to see how nervous you are.

Act like you're playing his game, say Sir and

don't volunteer anything. Try to look clean cut.

When talking to a cop, don't look into his eyes too much even if he's wearing sunglasses. Looking down indicates submissiveness, great to butter up a cop's ego.

Wear your seatbelt even if it looks dinky.

Don't put controversial bumper stickers on your vehicle.

Don't even put anti-drug bumper stickers on your vehicle. They look too obvious and attract attention. Try to blend in with a plain vehicle as opposed to a flashy one with loud music.

All that stuff about probable cause is bunk. Cops stop anyone they feel like stopping and just say you were weaving or made a lane change without using the blinkers. If they're lying, you can't prove it. If they have a video cam, they can just say they observed you from down the road several hundred feet.

Clean out your car to get rid of anything

suspicious like beer bottles or dope roaches on the floor. Try to act like either college boy or family man with either a textbook or a child's toy on the floor of the front seat.

Try to avoid violating the law. Stop and think before you act. If you're in doubt about the legality of an act, ask. Ignorance of the law is no excuse but use it anyway if confronted.

Try to stay away from suspicious places and circumstances. If you're a cleancut white guy driving around the ghetto on Friday or Saturday night, a cop knows you're either looking for dope or poontang.

Watch the company you keep. You can easily be arrested if you're with someone who commits a crime. It all depends on the crime and the circumstances.

We're not talking about your guilt or innocence or right from wrong. We're talking about how not to get arrested in the first place, thereby avoiding fees to attorneys, bail bond agents, loss of time on your job or even loss of your job.

As long as you're not interfering with law

enforcement, you're allowed to videotape any proceedings out in public that you want. Cops can't stop you.

Cops with dogs sometimes have a bag of grass in their pockets which they put their hand in to get the scent then tap the trunk of the car with it so that the dog alerts to the scent.

aclu.org/policepractices/policepractices.cfm, know your rights.

Stopped by Police Websites

aclu.org/policepractices/policepractices.cfm, know your rights.

answers.yahoo.com, this feels like it almost violates my constitutional rights, article about how cops routinely violate your rights.

access.nku.edu

aclu.org/police/gen

apd.cjis20.org/stopped_by_the_police.htm

articlesbase.com/law-articles/how-to-talk-to-the-police-when-stopped-for-a-traffic-violation-20002. html

azattorneys.com/if_stopped.html, if stopped while drunk.

bannockburn.org/police/faqs/stop.asp

blackpolice.org/stopped.html

ci.cypress.ca.us/police/crime_prevention/when_stopped_by_police.pdf

ci.renton.wa.us/police/stopped.htm

citizendefensetraining.com/stopped_by_the_police.htm

cityofwestsacramento.org/cityhall/departments/police/general/police_stop.cfm

county.allegheny.pa.us/police/index.asp

csuchico.edu/pot/bustcard.html

dcn.davis.ca.us/go/friends/whattodostoppedbypolice.pdf

dickinson.edu/departments/pubsaf/stoppedbypolice.html

dis.org/daver/anarchism/stopped.html

efn.org/opp/stop.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/police_stop,_search,_detention_and_arrest_powers_in_the_united_kingdom

expertlaw.com/library/criminal/police_stops.html

gustitislaw.com/articles/stopped_police.html

lycaeum.org/war/stopped.html

msworkerscenter.org/info/stopped_by_police.htm

ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs, info on traffic stops.

passyourdrugtest.com/rights.htm

police.hatfield.ma.us/stopped.html

police.ucdavis.edu/crimeprevention/actions_when_stopped.pdf

public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/traffic-stop-searches/traffic-stop-faq.html

publicsafety.binghamton.edu/stopped.htm

reactor-core.org/police-stop.html

torontopolice.on.ca/whenstopped/

townsunited.com/whattodowhenstopped2.pdf

younyclu.org/bust_card.html

Don't Trust Cops if You're Guilty

I know that on TV cops are portrayed as heroes. Some probably are but most cops spend most days hassling good, productive citizens for traffic tickets and other minor things. To me, it's karma. Cops hassled me so much in the past that I now don't like them generally as a group of people.

Cops will lie through their teeth to try to scare you. It's an ego trip for some of them to get immediate power over people.

I've been stopped several times before, abused for no reason, treated like a criminal and have been given about a dozen really stupid traffic tickets in my life so it's no wonder why I think cops are overrated.

Cops should realize if they treated people better they might not be treated with hate by a certain segment of the population who have been abused by them.

Copthink/ How Cops Think

Cops can help you if something happens. An entire force can descend on a scene in a matter of a minute or two in case of an emergency BUT they're not necessarily good guys all the time.

I believe I speak for the many millions of people who have been hassled for trivial, minor things and for the millions who have gotten trivial, meaningless traffic tickets.

I believe that much of the traffic ticket writing is a money grab not done to protect the public for safety sake but to put money into the coffers of the local justice department.

A cop might help you if a crime's been commited against you but don't paint them all by the same benevolent brush.

On TV, they all put their best faces forward for the camera and shows like America's Most Wanted portray them as a bunch of heroes but in real life, they're generally, a jaded, cynical bunch with a war mentality, them against the public and to all cops, everybody is a potential suspect/ criminal.

There might be the odd good one in the bunch but after awhile on the job, they all get copthink, this attitude that it's them against the public and their egos are so hooked on machismo because of the TV/ movie cop mentality that they feel they gotta get one up on the citizen in every situation.

The morale to the story is don't ever trust

cops no matter how sympathetic they might seem to you. That’s their game. Treat you like a buudy so you talk.

They talk to you like a buddy to catch you off guard then they ask if they can check your car out which is illegal without a search warrant unless they see a violation in plain view like dope, a gun or a dead body.

I saw one cop on TV use this technique. He talked to the guy, made him relax, looked at his license then said, "Ok, buddy, have a good day", turned around, walked about four paces then turned around and said, "Oh yah, do you mind if I check your trunk real quick." He caught the guy off guard. It was a choreographed method since I saw it used at least three times.

Cops have a legal right to lie to you during their interrogation and if you're stupid enough to believe them and talk, then you're a sucker.

Firstly, you're under no obligation to talk. They will try to say it will go easier on you if you talk but they just file the charges, it's the district attorney who decides if those charges are too harsh and won't stick who bumps them down into lower charges as a rule.

Sometimes the cops can charge you on a lower charge than they could but often they don't. They just pile the charges on leave it for the DA to investigate.

Cops routinely lie to get you to cough up the truth like tell you that you failed a lie detector test when you passed or it was inconclusive, tell you that one of your buddies ratted on you when he didn't or tell you that someone saw you when they didn't and if you're the sucker who decides to implicate yourself by making a statement in the mistaken belief that they will give you a break for coughing it up, they will just laugh at you and have contempt because you were so stupid you fell for their low level tricks.

My advice is to give them your name, address and SSN and that's it. If you lie, they will either keep you until they verify your identity through some ID or someone in the community Ids you or if you've got a criminal record, chances are they will find your true identity when they run your prints through NCIC (National Crime Information Center) which is a database for most felony convictions and some misdemeanor convictions in the country although some people slip through the cracks sometimes and get away but not very often.

Despite all the positive propaganda that's put out about cops, based on my own experiences of getting stopped for trivial things, my conclusion is that many of them develop an attitude somewhat like the character in Vincent Hugo's novel Les Miserables who saw the world only in terms of the law and anyone who broke it regardless of its triviality or circumstance had to be punished for it.

Cop Alienation From the Public

Cops get a lot of alienation from the public

because their job is to hassle people and lock them up. Some are good guys doing a job but many are jerks either because they were jerks before they got on the force and now have some artificial power over people or time on the job makes them see all people as potential suspects.

As a young guy in college, I hung out with a guy whose father was the local police chief. He told me that he'd never be a cop because they all develop cynical, negative outlooks after years on the job.

They become jaded, seeing only the negative in people, looking for the suspect in everyone. Because of the contempt they receive from the public at large, they develop an alienated view.

It's kind of like the war between them and everyone else and if they're further mentally ill with problems and stress in other parts of their lives, they can easily take it out on the public by writing out tickets and hassling decent people for stupid things like possession of small amounts of drugs, jaywalking, hanging out in public, sleeping in a park or wearing a walkman on a bike.

And then there's the whole macho image that a lot of cops are hooked on thinking they're Joe Serpico or Dirty Harry.

Some are good, reasonable guys collecting a

paycheck, doing a tough job but many really are rats. What you see on the TV shows is the cops on their best behavior because the camera is on them.

They usually get there long after the crime

is committed and the crook is long gone. We hear about the major crimes on TV but the typical cop's day is spent giving out tickets and harassing ordinary citizens for minor things.

A cop might be a great guy off the job but wearing the badge, watch out.

They got power over you and they will use it. When they talk to you, they're trying to figure out your angle in the situation as a possible suspect, testing you to try to catch you in a lie.

Sure, there are a few good ones there especially the older ones who have seen it all and know that the trivial stuff is bogus but by and large, cops have an egotistical mentality based on power over the public at large.

The bottom line is don't trust cops and if you're ever in a situation, don't talk to them too much because they will use it against you.

If you have to call them, hide anything illegal you might have laying around first.

I was watching the TV show Cops and a guy told the cop he had a gun hidden in the ceiling. The cop never would have found it but the guy, like many ignorant people out there, erroneously thought that by cooperating, the cop would cut him a break.

The cop found a bit of dope up there with the gun so he arrested all three in the apartment for endangering their baby because of the drugs they had.

Don't ever trust cops. They're not your buddies even though they pretend to be to try to lead you on. They use dirty tricks all the time to get information out of you, to offer you a deal, to get into your house or to consent to a search.

If you consent to a search, you're giving the cop power to bust you if he finds something. He won't go easy on you, he will bust you and that will be it. They often go beyond the legal bounds of a gray area after arrest or beyond the bounds of a search warrant to check everything.

They create excuses like saying they entered a property because they feared the safety of a person in there. They separate people then falsely claim that one has already spilled the beans and offer to go easy if you confess now.

They claim to have confidential informants thus justifying search warrants when they really don't. They play on naive people's belief that the system is just and fair and try to use guilt that confession is good for the soul. Then there's entrapment where they actively help a person commit a crime.

My friend was walking down the street one night minding his own business. They called him over, didn't like the look of his eyes so they arrested him for public intoxication and he spent about three days in jail until urine tests came back negative.

I don't understand how desperately crazy they go to bust people for small amounts of

recreational drugs. Drugs are simply

entertainment enhancements used to have fun.

A person who uses them is not a real criminal but judging from what I see on Cop TV shows, the way they manhandle decent people just because they have a bit of drugs on them is ludicrous.

These people aren't crooks, they're minding their own business yet cops think they're doing a great thing when they bust some guy for a few grams of coke then seize his car thereby screwing his life up bigtime all for a bit of dope. It's archaic. I've known friends locked up for 10 to 30 days for possession of small amounts of cocaine.

They must have some kind of informal quota

system where they think that by piling up the arrests, they will get promoted faster. I know for a fact that the number of arrests every cop makes per year goes on his record so they're playing that numbers game with you and they don't care how harmless you are, they will arrest you anyway.

Increasingly these days, the mindset of cops, police forces and other federal agencies is that of business. They're looking for people to arrest so that they can seize their cars and property then some of the money goes into their budget and they can buy nice things like a rec room at the station or all take a trip to a "police" convention all in the guise of work.

This is fact, cops are looking for people to arrest that they can profit from, usually people with drugs, even small amounts. In some states, as little as a gram of cocaine is enough to get a brand new car taken away then the cops themselves use it on the job and drive it home in effect owning it except that now, it belongs to the police force.

My warning is to never ever transport even small amounts of drugs in your vehicle unless you plan to lose it.

Another major source of revenue is traffic tickets. If the speed limit was suddenly eliminated in this country like it is on the auto bahns in Germany, the accident rate would not go up. Germany has 25% the rate of traffic accidents that we do proportionate to population.

People intuitively drive at safe speeds because they want to stay alive. Anybody can easily keep a vehicle in control up to about 85 mph yet why is the speed limit so low - so cops can make money.

That's the bottom line. Speeding at over 25 mph over the posted speed limit is called Reckless Driving, is usually quite expensive and could even be a criminal offense in some situations.

If you break traffic laws, they will get you sooner or later even if they're completely safe like coming to a partial stop at an empty intersection and not stopping completely. Cops hide out in nearby parking lots at night looking for these things.

Consent To Search/ Probable Cause

Consent searches are searches made by the police without a search warrant based on the consent of the individual whose person or property is being searched.

Consent forms are not required to obtain legal warrantless consent searches but they are sometimes used. If an individual gives oral consent then refuses to sign such a form, he or she should orally withdraw consent immediately.

The main reason people consent to searches is because they don't know any better.

Many people consent to searches because they want the cop to leave as quickly as possible. If you've got something to hide and the cop asks to search your vehicle or whatever, refuse then he might threaten you with a search warrant whereupon you simply tell him that he needs probable cause of a crime before he can get one and you're still innocent so you win.

Ask him if he's arresting you and when he says no, say have a nice day, officer and leave. Cops like to ask if they can search because they're on fishing expeditions. You can turn it around on them by asking what they're searching for. They don't want to come right out and say drugs so they might back off if you make them look crude and ill-mannered.

If a cop asks you a question and you're walking down the street minding your own business, you're not obligated to answer. If you want to be a smart ass, ask if you're being arrested and when he says no, walk away.

Cops are allowed to stop anyone and ask a question but you don't have to answer with anything meaningful. You're allowed to walk away unless you're under arrest.

Righteous indignation works acting as though this big meanie cop is hassling little old you for no just cause.

It's all about three basic levels of police escalation;

1.) Less Than Reasonable Articulate Suspicion.

A cop can stop anyone and ask questions based on suspicion or hunches but he can't search you unless it's a border search.

2.) Reasonable Articulate Suspicion

If you appear suspicious by hanging out in a drug area, by casing a joint out, etc., the cop can stop you, question you and detain you for about up to an hour to determine if you're involved in a crime.

They're allowed a Terry Frisk, a cursory search for weapons but if you consent or don't object, they often check everything, your pockets, underwear, mouth, everything.

Some local laws require that you show ID but they're ultimately unconstittional and will be defeated in court.

3.) Probable Cause Info

The cop has some concrete evidence, either the word of a trusted informant, the smell of drugs, the word of a witness, the view of drugs in your possession, etc. that makes him think you were involved in a crime so he can detain you, cuff you, arrest you, mirandize you and search you and the area around you, your grabbable area.

Before the cops can probe your body with a

needle for blood tests or an orifice for drugs, they must have some evidence that a relevant crime has been commited, there must be a warrant or an emergency situation and it must be a reasonable procedure such as not choking a subject to get him to throw up the drugs he swallowed which some rogue cops have done in the past.

Simply don't give yourself away by admitting to something or waving contraband around like having a joint on your ear or a bag of dope sticking out of your pockets.

You don't have to show ID unless you're being arrested. The cop can't frisk you unless he's got suspicion that you committed a crime but cops have the power to preserve their safety so they can use that leverage to frisk whomever they want merely saying that they believe you to be a threat to their safety.

If you're on foot, a cop has a harder time arresting you than if you're in a car because in a car, they have all kinds of phony reasons to stop and hassle you so if you're on foot and a cop hassles you, don't go straight to your car where he can see you and stop you for some phony reason.

Cops can stop you based on suspicion of

something but unless they get some

information or evidence, they don't have any

probable cause to search your car or house or arrest you.

They can detain you while they investigate the scene of a crime but after that, they either have to arrest you or let you go. They can't detain you after the investigation without a probable cause reason.

A detention must be based on Reasonable Articulable Suspicion/ RAS that you were doing something illegal. This could be almost anything that a cop deems as suspicious and nervous like you were looking at him nervously, started to run, were wearing a disguise, were near the scene of a crime, were acting crazy, information from an informant, known criminal, etc.

A cop can determine any unusual behavior to be suspicious like even standing somewhere too long looking like you were casing something out.

The cop may put you in the back of his car or cuff you during a detention but he can't ask for ID unless he arrests you and reads you your Miranda rights.

They may frisk you for their safety then conduct their investigation by talking to people, looking around, etc. and they may bring eye witnesses down to identify you as the possible culprit.

A detention shouldn't last for longer than

60 minutes. You don't have to answer

questions during a detention although if you don't, this will raise suspicions. If there's no

probable cause, they cut you loose to go.

Cops rarely detain law abiding looking types because they fear a complaint or lawsuit. They detain you if you look like you're up to something then if they don't find anything, you're free to go.

You might be detained if you're at the wrong

place at the wrong time like at the site of a crime but just play it cool and they will release you soon enough if you're innocent.

If you're detained, keep asking the cop if you're free to go and tell him you're innocent and wanna go home. If a cop stops you and asks to look in your knapsack, tell him it's personal property.

Don't let him look and ask if you're being detained, then ask him if you're free to go and that's it.

Cops know the law and know when they're up against an informed smartass and they don't need the hassle.

If he wants to detain you, pull out your

Cellphone recorder, start recording and ask what the reasonable articulate suspicion for stopping you is. If a cop detains you for an invalid RAS, you can sue him for Unlawful Restraint.

If a cop detains you but doesn't arrest you, the more you talk, the more it can be used against you if you're later arrested.

Your best bet is not be angry but levelheaded indignant and keep asking, "Am I free to go?"

Consent to Search Websites

allbusiness.com/legal/35063621.html, kansas supreme court rules police needed warrant to search laptop.

associatedcontent.com/article/205770/how_police_receive_consent_to_search.html, how police receive consent to search.

civilliberty.about.com

civilliberty.about.com/od/lawenforcementterrorism

civilliberty.about.com/od/lawenforcementterrorism/p/gavrandolph.htm, who can refuse to consent to a search?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/consent_searches

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/legal_challenges_to_nsa_warrantless_searches_in_the_united_states

encyclopedia.com/doc/1g198253659.html, consent once removed.

findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_2_72/ai_98253659, search warrant law.

fletc.gov/training/programs/legaldivision/podcasts/hotissuespodcasts/hotissuestranscripts/whocanconsenttosearchpodcasttranscript.html, who can consent to search.

gazhoo.com/polygraphconsent

icje.org/id57.htm, consent forms.

lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2008/01/maclin-on-conse.html

piercelaw.edu

policeone.com/writers/columnists/quinlan/articles/94526/

writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20050518.html

Probable Cause Websites

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution covers probable cause.

allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/law-probable-cause

answers.com/topic/probable-cause

britannica.com/eb/topic-1305585/probable-cause

caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment04

criminal-law-lawyer-source.com/terms/probable-cause.html

definitions.uslegal.com/c/certificate-of-probable-cause

dictionary.law.com

ehow.com, how to support probable cause for a search warrant.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/probable_cause

expertwitness.com/srch/law-enforcement-probable-cause.htm

flexyourrights.org/frequently_asked_questions

lectlaw.com/def2/p089.htm, legal definition of probable cause.

legalmatch.com/law-library/article/probable-cause-searches.html, find probable cause lawyers and attorneys in your area.

probablecause.org

suspect.com/laws/new-york-laws

uslawandpolitics.com/probable-cause

Search Warrant/ Search & Seizure

Amendment IV. Right of Search & Seizure Regulated. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution

protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures.

With very few exceptions, the police must obtain a warrant which shows probable cause of criminal activity in a specific location from a judge before they're allowed to enter anyone's property.

The police are supposed to knock and enter peacefully and can only use forceful methods if they believe there could be violence at the location.

Police have the right of Controlled Delivery, that is that if they find something illegal like contraband, they can follow it through

to its conclusion and search the immediate area to solve the crime and arrest the proper criminals.

The big thing about law is that cops

routinely step over the line but most people don't know the law or their rights so they let them.

People often stupidly give cops the Consent

To Search their property. If you know your

rights are being violated, you should either speak up or file a complaint with assistance from a competent, sympathetic lawyer.

If you don't, the police will walk all over you to get whatever evidence they need then they will screw you by arresting you.

Cops often fool people into thinking that if you volunteer information, they will help you but often after you help them, they turn around and arrest you.

During the conduct of the warrant search, the police are not allowed to search areas not specifically covered by the warrant unless the owner consents to it or they have probable cause that the area is used for criminal activity.

If you allow the police to search your home without a warrant, they must stop when you tell them to.

The three factors of a search warrant are:

Scope.

Extent.

Time.

Make sure these are all specifically defined before you allow a legal search. If the police violate one of these provisions, tell your lawyer about it. Cops can't search everything, only what the search warrant says.

Cops have Plain View Protection. They can get you for whatever they see in plain view in the course of normal business doing legitimate police work with a reasonable justification for being there.

They can search abandoned property left in public places. According to the law of

curtilage, they can spy on you on your own

property as long as they're outside the immediate area of your dwelling.

They can do surveilance by plane. They can search public school lockers. If a police dog alerts to anything in a public place, the police have probable cause to search it which is bad because police can often leave a scent on anything by spreading their hands over it which they set up by rubbing marijuana in them.

They can search vehicles at the border or board boats on the water.

There are several exceptions to the warrant

requirement.

Cops can enter property if it's a medical type emergency situation called Exigency To Protect Life And Render Aid.

If they're chasing a fleeing suspect, they can go after him into dwellings. This is called Exigencies With Cause To Suspect Crime. The cop doesn't have time to get a warrant so he arrests the suspect based on probable cause in a crime in progress.

With automobile searches, there are two criteria before they're legally allowed to search;

The car was mobile, in motion;

They have probable cause of a crime.

Probable cause can be as simple as a dog alerting on a part of the car.

Cops often do surveilance on criminals at their homes and get them when they put something in their cars and drive away.

If you give cops consent to search, they may do so and use whatever they find against you.

Cops are emotionless. They don't assume you're cutting them a break if you give them consent to search. They just assume you're a dummy and will try to screw you.

If they find something illegal, they will arrest you. The law is worded such that only the person with full control authority of the premises can give consent. A landlord can't give consent for a tenant's house, a child can't give consent for a parent's home, a hotel manager can't give consent for a rented hotel room nor an employee over a workplace managed by someone else.

Cops will often try to get a third party to let

them in somewhere but if that person doesn't have full authority, it's illegal on their part so you can sue them if this happens.

Many heavily regulated and licensed businesses are subject to either or both administrative searches and searches of the property as a matter of routine.

Many people on probation or parole give consent that their property can be searched at any time.

The only places that require a search warrant are a home, a locked container in a car and possibly a business that the government can't get into to do a routine search, i.e., an unregulated business.

To get a search warrant, a cop must have probable cause of a crime such as he arrests you in your car and finds some drugs so he suspects you have drugs at home.

He then fills out paperwork and goes to a judge or calls him on the phone whereupon the judge reads it over and concludes it's sound then signs it whereupon the search warrant is operational.

The search warrant must specifically state what he's looking for. If it's drugs and he finds illegal exotic animals in the house, the defendant's lawyer might be able to argue that the search warrant wasn't specifically looking for the animals so his constitutional rights were violated.

In a Search Incident To Lawful Arrest, cops can basically look through what they want in your immediate, grabbable area. They generally can't look in locked containers without a warrant unless it specifically relates to the crime. You have to grin and bear this violation of your life.

An Inventory Search is done when you're arrested or your car impounded. Cops remove your property and put it into storage until you're released. It's another way for them to snoop.

An Administrative Search can be conducted on any licensed business, at federal facilities like entrances to federal buildings or military bases and a few other places.

A closed or locked container like a trunk is

generally off limits unless a cop can open it by themselves with their own ingenuity in the course of a search or they have probable cause and get a search warrant.

The Fourth and Fifth Amendments protect the individual's papers and records and his right to not testify against himself so his papers are somewhat protected but the government can take them in the course of an investigation either by subpoena or outright seizure via a judicial search warrant on the condition that they must return them after the investigation is over.

There are several privileged communication

relationships within society, for example, spouses can't be forced to testify against one another, children-parent relationships, clergy-penitent relationships, lawyer-client, doctor-patient and therapist-client relationships, however, there are

exceptions such as when the threat of a crime that will harm another seems imminent.

The information exchanged in these relationships is generally considered private and confidential but these professionals will often sacrifice their clients to win favor or save their butts from prosecution or blackmail so don't trust any professional even if it supposedly is in confidence.

Every person has the right to not incriminate

himself but if a person refuses to testify against another in a trial, the court can hold him in contempt of court and either fine him or send him to jail until he cooperates.

Certain papers and records can be subponeated by the court. Police and prosecutors often make deals with witnesses offering immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony.

Eavesdropping laws vary in every jurisdiction. In locations where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy such as in a police car, in a police interrogation room or in prison, the police have a right to secretly record you and they do. Just watch the A&E TV Network.

If you enter a federal area such as a military base, a national park or Indian reservation, you have very few rights there.

"Exigent circumstances" must exist in order to enter a home without a search warrant like you're worried about someone's safety.

Search Warrant Websites

ledux.blogspot.com/2006/03/search-warrant.html

lawguru.com

ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/usapatriotactsearch.htm, usa patriot act search warrant at libraries.

aele.org/search1.html, can an officer search for and seize property to protect it?

answers.com/topic/search-warrant

answers.yahoo.com, does this sound like a legal search and seize?

associatedcontent.com/article/82561/can_us_customs_search_seize_your_laptop.html, can us customs search & seize your laptop computer without cause?

attorneyburbank.com/search_warrant.html, search warrants and the fourth amendment. burbank law firm

criminal-law.freeadvice.com/arrests_and_searches

criminal-law.freeadvice.com/arrests_and_searches/police_search_warrant_limits.htm

definitions.uslegal.com/s/search-warrant

ehow.com, how to read a search warrant.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/legal_challenges_to_nsa_warrantless_searches_in_the_united_states

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/search_and_seizure

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/search_warrant

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/searches_incident_to_a_lawful_arrest

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/warrantless_searches_in_the_united_states

encyclopedia.com/doc/1g1-98253659.html, consent once removed, exception to the search warrant requirement.

findarticles.com, consent once removed, legal digest, search warrant law from fbi law enforcement bulletin.

fletc.gov/training/programs/legal-division/podcasts/4th-amendment-roadmap-podcasts

fletc.gov/training/programs/legal-division/podcasts/4th-amendment-roadmap-podcasts/4th-amendment-transcripts/execution-of-a-search-warrant-ii-podcast-transcript.html

hmichaelsteinberg.com/searchandseizurelaw.htm

laborlawtalk.com/archive/index.php/t-114914.html, contesting probable cause for issuence of search warrant.

landmarkcases.org/mapp/when.html, when is a search warrant not necessary?

law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/3105.html, persons authorized to serve search warrant.

law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/2000aa.html, searches and seizures by government officers.

law.uga.edu/academics/profiles/dwilkes_more/37patriot.html, a sneak and peek search warrant (also called a covert entry search warrant or a surreptitious entry search warrant).

lawlibraryonline.com/legal.dictionary/s/search.warrant.htm

lawyerinlongbeach.com/searchandseizure.html, illegal search and seizure, california.

lectlaw.com/files/cri12.htm

legalmatch.com/law-library/article/search-warrants.html, search warrants lawyers & legal information.

legalmatch.com/lawlibrary/article/seizureofbooksdocumentsorotherpapersnotlistedinasearchwar rant.html

members.tripod.com/~tcrcmp/legal.html, what constitutes a legal search?

nolo.com/lawcenter

nolo.com/lawcenter/ency/article.cfm, search warrants, what they are and when they're necessary.

searchandseizurelaw.com

secretservice.gov/electronic_evidence.shtml

splc.org/legalresearch.asp?id=31, student press law center.

thomson.com

usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime, searching computers.

ustreas.gov/usss/electronic_evidence.shtml, using evidence obtained from a computer in a legal search.

utahcriminaldefenselaw.com/archives/search-and-seizure-what-are-the-police-allowed-to-do-after-they-obtai n-a-search-warrant.html

Chapter 2. Deal With the Law 2

In Your House and the Law

Cops can't enter your house unless they're

involved in an imminent arrest from a public

place or have a search warrant.

The 4th Amendment gives you a reasonable expectation of privacy in your own house, however, probable cause starts right outside of your door.

If someone walking past sees marijuana plants in your yard, smells drugs in your house or smells what they perceive to be the manufacture of methamphetamines, that's probable cause enough to get a warrant.

In some cases, a warrant is not necessary because they see the violation from public therefore it started in public so they can proceed on with the arrest.

In such cases, they can get you for probable cause without a warrant. If you see them coming to the door, don't answer it. If they just have probable cause without a warrant, they can't enter but if they have a search warrant, they can break the door down.

If you know they're coming, leave, go to your lawyer then turn yourself in with him. It might avoid a search of your house.

A person has a right to expect privacy in his home therefore most wiretapping conversations are invalid in a court of law.

By the law of curtilage, they can spy on you on your own property as long as it's out of the realm of your immediate dwelling so they can hide behind some trees in a field you own and spy on you.

Private places in businesses generally have the same protections as a private home. Police need a search warrant for many businesses although they have warrantless rights to check out certain businesses like nightclubs, gun dealers, pawnshops, pharmacies, etc., generally any business that's regulated by the government.

Public areas in businesses are fair game for cops to search. Cops are allowed to go into businesses to arrest people without needing a search warrant for entry.

Remember, all search warrants must state

specifically what they're searching for, the

time the warrant is good for and they aren't legally allowed to go beyond that scope.

Even though the police will intimidate you, try to videotape the search. Cops sometimes plant evidence and destroy the contents of a house looking for evidence.

Cops can sometimes convince judges to authorize No Knock forcible entry in cases of violent offenders and drug offenses where the people could have time to flush the evidence down the toilet if the cops knock politely and wait.

If the cops serve a search warrant, they have access to your entire life and all your records in there, a veritable paper trail linking you to everything you've ever done.

I know some people that rent a safety deposit box and hide all their important papers so that nobody can ever snoop on them even if they enter their houses. This especially applies to IRS cases.

Don't allow cops into your home if you've got something to hide. Speak briefly from the door only then leave. If you call the cops for anything, make sure you hide anything illegal before the cops come.

If police have an arrest warrant and are at your door, tell them you're unarmed and that you're coming out with your hands up. Do so to lessen their right to search your grabbable area in your house and possibly stop them from seeing whatever is in plain view. They aren't allowed to search in other areas.

Police are allowed to snoop through garbage put out for trash.

Police can get a record of all your phonecalls from the telephone company.

Drinking Alcohol and the Law

The police don't like dealing with sloppy, boisterous drunks any more than most people do. If you get yourself in this condition in a public place, you're asking for trouble. If you get drunk in public, DON'T get involved in a disturbance.

The drunk tank is the universal solution to disturbances involving drunks. If you're the type that gets drunk and rowdy, take a designated driver/ caretaker along with you, someone who will promise the police that they will take you home and lock you up for the night. This doesn't always work but it's worth a try.

If you disturb the peace while drinking, you'll go in the drunk tank for the night. You might be charged for disturbing the peace but it's so minor that they'll probable just release you in the morning with no charges.

The legal drinking age in most places goes anywhere from 18 to 21. In Europe, it can go as low as 16.

Don't operate a motor boat while drinking. There are water police in recreational areas.

Don't buy alcohol for minors.

Don't bootleg, sell booze from your house.

brookstonbeerbulletin.com/category/law/

chillpharm.com

dbw.ca.gov/aquasmart/html/alcohol_2.html, alcohol and boating, california.

facts about alcohol consumption, a blood-alcohol chart and online calculator.

freethehops.org, alabamians for specialty beer.

law.cornell.edu/topics/alcohol_tobacco.html

ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm, the police notebook

potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholabuse.html

Arrest Warrants and the Law

If you receive a ticket or are arrested and either released with a court date and don't appear (Failure to Appear/ FTA) or are found Guilty in a trial, pay all fines and associated costs on time.

If this is not possible, ask for an extension. A warrant will be issued for your arrest if you do not take care of traffic tickets on time or in the case of convictions, if you don't pay assessed fines.

If you're arrested and use the services of a bonding company or an attorney, follow their instructions while you are waiting for your case to be disposed of. You may be required to report weekly, prohibited from leaving town, etc. during this time period.

If you violate these rules, the attorney or bonding company can cancel your bond and a warrant for your re-arrest will be issued.

Arrests on warrants can come at the most embarrassing times, such as at work, school, on a date, etc. and on top of all that, the bonding company or attorney isn't going to give your money back and you will have to go through the whole ordeal again.

Once you are charged with an infraction or a crime, follow through with it in the proper manner. Never ignore these things unless it's a minor crime and you plan to move out of the state soon. They won't ever go away and they will always get worse.

Some police departments list arrest warrants on their websites.

1stpublicrecords.com/warrant.htm, do an arrest warrant search.

bernco.gov/live/warrants.asp

ci.austin.tx.us/police/warrants/warrantsearch.cfm

co.delaware.pa.us/writs/warrantsearch.asp

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/fruit_of_the_poisonous_tree

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/warrant_(law)

freerecordsregistry.com, check warrant records.

jurist.law.pitt.edu

justia.com

keytlaw.com

questia.com/criminal_law

romingerlegal.com

sdsheriff.net/waar/waar.aspx, san diego county warrants.

shelbywarrants.org, shelby county sheriff's office, warrant information.

tulsapolice.org/warrants/default.asp

Weapons and the Law

Know the laws of your state concerning weapons. Register weapons if it is required in your city or state. Know what the laws are concerning the carrying of weapons on your person or in your vehicle.

Know what constitutes a weapon in your state. Brass knuckles, nunchakus, Kung-Fu stars, chains, clubs or anything adapted to be used as a club and long knives may be illegal to carry.

In most states, transport a rifle unloaded in the trunk.

There are a few open-carry holster states around. If you live there and carry a gun, act like it doesn't exist.

In all other states, you can be charged with CCW, Carrying A Concealed Weapon so don't carry it on your body. Put it in the trunk or in a locked briefcase. If they ask if you have an illegal gun, say NO because if they catch you anyway, they won't charge you for lying about it.

Carrying a locked, unloaded gun is only illegal in a few eastern states like NY and DC.

Firearms or other weapons laying about inside your vehicle or your friend's vehicle can get you arrested in many jurisdictions. It may not matter if it's not your weapon. If it's within your reach, you may be subject to arrest.

A weapons offense may be a misdemeanor in one part of town and a felony a block away. Carrying weapons where alcoholic beverages are sold or served, on school grounds or other locations may constitute a more serious charge. If you have a gun, keep it in your trunk.

If you plan to go to Canada or Mexico, don't be a fool and take a gun or rifle with you in your car or RV. If they find it, they will arrest you.

Chapter 3. Deal With the Law 3

Miranda Rights and the Law

If you're arrested, the police must read you your Miranda rights:

You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law; you have the right to an attorney to represent you and if you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided for you at no cost.

A slight variation is:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with an attorney, and to have an attorney present both before and during questioning. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, one will be appointed by the court, free of charge, to represent you before any questioning, if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any question or make any statements.

To secure a waiver of these rights, the following questions should be asked and an affirmative answer received:

Do you understand these rights I have just explained to you?

With these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to me now?"

Once you're read your Miranda rights and the cops try to interrogate you, if you say you don't want to talk, they must cease immediately.

This is your greatest weapon - Silence. Don't let them intimidate you into incriminating yourself.

They will often try to entice you by offering a deal but they have no power to make deals, only the District Attorney/ Prosecutor does. Once they get your confession, they will leave you to rot in the cell, they don't care about you and the so-called deal anymore.

Waiving your rights means you understand you have the right to remain silent but choose to talk anyway in the hopes that they will go easier on you.

abanet.org/publiced/practical/criminal/miranda_rights.html

addbalance.com/miranda_rights.htm

bailyes.com/miranda_rights.htm

crimelibrary.com

criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/criminal_rights/criminal_rights_police/miranda.html

criminalattorney.com

criminaldefenselawyer.com/mirandarights.cfm

emergency.com/miranda.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/miranda_warning

expertlaw.com/library/criminal/miranda_rights.html

fraudaid.com/how-to-deal-with-having-been-conned/miranda_rights.htm

georgiadefender.com/miranda.htm

law.about.com/medianews/law/msub52.htm

lawforkids.org/qa/other/other186.cfm

litigation-lawyer.com/miranda-rights-criminal-law.htm

maxsell.com, miranda rights on wallet-sized card.

orangecountybailbondscompany.com/mirandarights.htm

pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june00/miranda_1-6.html

publicdefender.cjis20.org/miranda.htm

thecapras.org/mcapra/miranda/rights.html

usconstitution.net/miranda.html

usgovinfo.about.com/cs/mirandarights/

Resisting Arrest and the Law

You're under arrest for resisting arrest.

Don't ever push, shove or hit a police officer. The police don't feel they should be hit for doing their job any more than the store clerk, doctor or fireman. This will always get you a ride downtown.

Help arrives quickly to these events. If you have a problem with an officer, pursue it through the proper channels. Police administrators don't want a problem officer around any more than you do.

Don't resist arrest. It will only get you in more trouble. Demand to know why you're being arrested if you haven't been told or don't understand. Resisting doesn't help your case whether you're innocent or guilty of the original charge.

You will only be adding another charge which means more money out of your pocket and more time in jail.

There are two types of resisting arrest:

Using violence to try to get away.

Lying or using false identification cards.

answers.com/topic/resistingarrest

correntewire.com/because_you_did_not_obey_my_instruction

dictionary.law.com

jfrlaw.com/criminal_statutes/2c292.htm, new jersey attorney at law.

lawguru.com

members.cox.net/negatyve/sec_observer.html

miamicriminallawyer.net/html/disorderly.html, disorderly conduct.

ptb.state.il.us/pdf/useoforcestudentmanual.pdf, illinois peace officers use of force in making an arrest.

umass.edu/legal/pdf/csedesgdf03.pdf

law.com

Police Interrogation and the Law

Cops have a legal right to lie to you during their interrogation and if you're stupid enough to believe them and talk, then you're a sucker.

There was a series of shows on The Discovery Channel about police interrogations. The technique is like this:

Develop a rapport with the suspect.

Let them say anything they want even if they lie. Don't challenge them.

Leave, come back later to confront and challenge them. Lie if you think it will help you get them to talk.

They watch body language and try to catch you in a lie.

Sometimes the cops can charge you on a lower charge than they could but often they don't. They just pile the charges on leave it for the DA to investigate.

Police have the right to say they have evidence against you when they don't, telling you your friends confessed, telling you that you have a psychobabble term called selective memory, threatening you with a much harsher sentence if you don't confess, etc.

All polygraph type machines are unreliable but used as a tool of intimidation. They measure anxiety only, not whether a person is lying.

If they charge you with something, say I want to talk to a lawyer and don't say anything more.

Ask if you're being charged for anything. If they say no, tell them I want to leave now. Get up and go. They have no right to stop you.

If the police stop you anywhere and say they want to talk to you at the station, ask if you're being charged with anything. When they say no, say no I will not go. Walk away.

The police don't make deals. Prosecutors do. If you're arrested, your case file goes immediately to the prosecutor and he investigates to see if he can make the charges stick. If you wanna cop a plea, tell the cops you want a lawyer and then you'll speak to the prosecutor aka the district attorney.

The long and short of it is that you gain nothing by being cooperative with the cops if you've committed a crime. If you're a witness who wants to help the cops, that's a different story but the further you get sucked into any situation, the greater likelihood you have of being charged with a crime.

Some of the above info could be now compromised of the homeland security laws.

chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/5147677.html, nowak testifies she was misled in police interview.

Talking to the Feds and the Law

Title 18 USC 1001 makes it a federal felony if you lie to any federal investigator so the logical conclusion is that most of the time, you will not gain anything by talking to federal law enforcement officers.

Why put yourself in jeopardy of being charged for lying by talking to them.

If they want to talk, whether you're being charged criminally for something or not, politely say no and leave it at that.

You are under no obligation to talk to anyone. Tell them you want to exercise your right to stay silent and either want to call your lawyer or ask them to appoint one for you if you're being criminally charged which the court will do.

technoptimist.blogspot.com/20040307technoptimistarchive.html#107875994496258512

Chapter 4. Arrest & Jail

If You Get Arrested 1

All arrests require probable cause that you commited a crime. A person can be arrested if the police have probable cause which means that they reasonably have enough facts and evidence to believe that you committed a crime.

The police can detain a person for up to 48 hours only at a police station or jail without charging him but then they must let him go if they don't charge him.

They can't arrest you on suspicion alone. They must have some evidence otherwise it's false arrest.

If a cop wastes 20 minutes on you, it may make him look bad if he has to let you go so he may charge you with a cheap misdemeanor like resisting arrest or disturbing the peace just to keep his ego intact.

Probable cause comes from the cop gathering the evidence that's around in plain sight or on the word of a trustworthy informant. If you're out in public, the cop doesn't need a warrant to arrest you. If you're in your home or in a hotel room, he needs a warrant to arrest you.

If you get arrested, you're on their turf now so be meek and humble, play their game. You can't win with them so don't try to get your frustrations out or be a hero. Control your emotions and keep your mouth shut at all times.

Don't grovel. You are in control of yourself; they are only in control of the situation. The corrections and law enforcement staff might appear compassionate and sympathetic but don't trust anybody. They all bow down to the one truth; cover my own ass, screw everybody else and they commonly play the good cop, bad cop game. It works amazingly well.

After you're arrested, the police are allowed to search your body without your consent. They can search your person and all places in your reach area and do an inventory search of the property in your car.

Beyond that, your ass belongs to the cops. You have very few rights until you're released.

A cop can use reasonable force to restrain you.

Cops can use minor bodily intrusion to do things like check your orifices for drugs or forcibly draw blood for a drug and alcohol test.

Your best bet is to keep your mouth shut, do not fall prey to their tricks and speak only if you have your lawyer present. Otherwise cooperate fully to avoid hassles.

Go with the program. Don't make any deals with the police without your lawyer present because they often don't honor them. Don't talk to cellmates about your charges because that can be used against you in court.

Do not represent yourself in court. Get a legal aid lawyer if you have to. Make your phone calls but beware that the phone could be bugged. If the cops interrogate you, don't volunteer anything. Most interrogation rooms have a hidden video camera in them. If they make a deal, get it in writing with your lawyer present.

Cops have all the tricks. Don't fall for any of them. If you're treated unfairly, file a writ of habeas corpus to get before a judge to lodge a complaint. Ask your lawyer about it.

Once you got the basic rules down, the rest of the procedure is just one big game except that the stakes are kind of high, your freedom. The general procedure is:

1. Arrest.

2. Initial Questioning.

3. Booking.

4. More Questioning.

5. Arraignment: Evidentiary Hearing; Administrative Hearing (automatic in a traffic case, otherwise rare); Grand Jury Indictment.

6. Trial.

7. Sentencing.

8. Appeals (pre-trial services, trials, and sentencing).

Act cooperative while refusing to say anything if you can help it. There are lots of different times where they will try to question you. Even other prisoners may be sent in to try to get you to talk if you're important to them and you're being a tough nut to crack. Volunteer for nothing.

Don't complain. Don't ask for anything. You're the one in control here, not a wimp. Act like it.

Be respectful.

Don't act better than them or they will take it out on you (cops have deep fears of being inferior to others because they're lowly blue collar workers in the grand pecking order).

Your complaints will go in their report.

Just try to be as cooperative as possible physically because it's not going to be worth your effort to resist. Besides, it will give them a reason to muddle your character in court.

At the jail, they will fingerprint you, take a mugshot and run them through the national crime computer (NCIS) to verify your identity and to see if you've got any outstanding warrants against you for other crimes.

A warrant is an order for your arrest. It's usually issued when you don't go to your court trial or violate your parole/ probation.

They assess a bond on you based on the charge.

This is the amount of money you can put up right there on the spot to get out of jail. You can pay by credit card.

If it's a serious charge, there's no bond. This is called remand and if convicted later, it counts as time served. If it's something minor like shoplifting, it might carry a $300 bond. That means if you can give them $300, they will write out a summons for you to appear in court on a certain date for your trial and you're free to go.

You will get the $300 back if you show up for court. If not, it's forfeit and a warrant is issued for your arrest.

They give you a phone call where you can call either a lawyer, friend, relative or bail bondsmen out of the phone book to bail you out. A bail bondsman is a businessman who makes money by putting up the money for people's bonds in exchange for their 10% payment of the bond value but it's a risk for him if you skip.

He loses the money he put up so they check you out before they decide to bond you. If it's a bond for less than $3000, it might not be worth his while to even bother bailing you out. They usually want a reference of an upstanding citizen in the community.

If you don't bond out, you go to an arraignment the next morning where you set your plea and the judge decides how much to set your bond so that you can get out until your trial date. He might let you out with no bond, especially if you're a first offender. This is called ROR - Released On Your Own Recognizance.

Before you are arraigned, they will probably keep you in a holding cell. They will send a pre-trial services representative to try to get you to tell them your side of the story.

This is the same routine as booking. Don't answer anything. At arraignment, the magistrate or judge will read the complaint, information, or indictment against you and ask if you understand it.

He is supposed to inform you of your right to assistance of counsel, that you are not required to make any statements and that any statement may be used against you. The whole point of this procedure is only to tell you what you have been charged with and to make sure you understand it.

If the complainant drops the charges during the interim to the trial date, in all likelihood, the charges will be dismissed when you go to court unless the police want to pursue it on their own.

In cases of domestic violence, the battered spouse has no say in charging the batterer. If the police see the signs, they must arrest the perpetrator and charge him.

During the trial, if you plead not guilty, you will be allowed to state your case and cross examine any witnesses.

You have the right to a trial in front of a judge or jury. A jury conviction must be unanimous beyond a reasonable doubt so if there's ambiguity, there's a good chance of at least one dissenter in a jury resulting in a hung jury meaning no conviction for the moment although the district attorney may choose to try the case again.

You have the right to a speedy trial and a speedy appeals process. If you decide to plead guilty, try to get a good plea bargain through your lawyer with the prosecutor.

In a nutshell, if you're stopped by the police:

You may remain silent beyond stating your name and address.

The police may search you for weapons by patting the outside of your boy.

Do not resist.

If you are arrested:

After booking, you have the right to at least two phone calls although many jails have phones in the community cell that you can use at will.

The police must give you a receipt for everything they took from you.

You have the right to hire and see an attorney immediately.

If you cannot afford an attorney, the courts must provide you with one.

You do not have to give a statement to the police nor do you have to sign any statement they might put in front of you.

The judge will determine whether to release you on your own recognizance, assess a bond on you or keep you in jail on remand if he determines that you're a flight risk.

The police must bring you to court or release you within 48 hours after arrest unless it's a holiday or weekend then they must bring you to court on the immediate day after.

If You Get Arrested 2

Being arrested is a drag. It stops your life cold. If you can't make bail, you're stuck until the trial. Cops nowadays don't care. They bust doors down for simple drug possession or escort services.

If it's your first time being arrested, you'll be booked into jail until you go to court the next day. If you've been arrested and booked there before and the charge is minor without a bail amount, they'll book you again, give you a court date and let you go.

You will be given the opportunity to make a phone call to contact a bail bonds person or your lawyer. Hopefully you have a friend you can call who will take down your location, your booking number and the arrest charge to give the bail bonds person and/ or lawyer he or she calls.

If you are taken to a separate jail (the county jail) after you have been booked at the police or sheriff's station, you will have to go through the process all over again. You will be told to remove your shoes and stockings or socks and checked for drugs. If you have any jewelry and money, they will take them from you. You will be given a receipt for all your things. If it isn't listed on the receipt when they give it to you, tell them right then so they can put it on the receipt.

You might be ordered to take a shower then have your head checked for lice.

In any event, you will have to strip down and a guard will look up your butt.

You are then given a jail gown and your bedroll and most likely go into the general prison population as opposed to solitary confinement which is for mentally ill people, suicidal people and celebrities.

Now you wait for either bail to come through or your trial date.

You will most likely be fingerprinted again at the jail even if they did it at the police station.

You either sleep in a communal dorm or two-person cells. Very rarely do you get your own cell.

There are pay phones there so you can call people you know. Wait in line to use the phones.

If you think you are too good to be in jail, you'll get the cold shoulder. Just play along like everybody else. You need friends not enemies.

Keep your mouth shut. Be friendly but reserved.

It is difficult to know ahead of time what your bail will be because it varies from case to case. If you have prior arrests or convictions, your bail will probably be higher.

Once you have posted bail, you will be given back your property and or money that you gave to the booking officer.

You can take the chance of giving a fake name. If you have no I.D. on you that conflicts with this and if you have not been arrested before, you will be booked under that name. If you get arrested in the future, the routine fingerprint check will reveal that arrest. They might charge you for fraud without violence for using a fake name.

If you don't show up at your trial, bail is revoked and there is a warrant issued for your arrest.

You should eventually get back everything they take from your house or your car but it does take a long time sometimes to get it back. Sometimes you will never get it back unless you sue.

Hire a criminal lawyer or get help from a public defender. Fight for your own case. Do not assume that just because you told your attorney about something that they will pursue that information. If your lawyers won't give you a straight answer, keep after them until you know exactly where you stand.

Lawyers charge different fees for different services, so it is important to get in writing exactly what they are going to do for the money you pay them.

You will not get a refund if they lose your case but if there is deliberate malpractice or incompetence, you can sue although it is difficult to find a lawyer who will sue another lawyer.

If You Get Arrested 3

Use your common sense. If you're minding your own business, that's almost enough to render you safe from arrest but not quite enough.

There's a provision or a general intuitive radar that both cops use to check people out and citizens use to call the cops. Roughly, it comes down to their perception of you as either looking suspicious or acting suspicious.

Even if you're hanging around in a public place doing nothing suspicious, a lot of people and cops feel uncomfortable if somebody is hanging around somewhere without an apparent purpose so expect to get cops coming over to check you out if you're hanging around on the streets doing nothing in particular.

This is a gray area between what's legal and what isn't. In my opinion, especially after the passage of the Homeland Security Acts, try to avoid loafing around in public and if you get stopped by the cops, much of their behavior towards you will be determined by your behavior towards them but in general, cops are a cynical bunch, expect them to be suspicious of you.

If you've got warrants for arrest, that's tough. They're told to check people out and make minor arrests because they nab a lot of fugitives this way. Be as co-operative as you can if a cop stops you. That way, you will be on your way quicker.

If you have a bad attitude or act like a smart-ass with the cops, what do you expect?

Do your homework on your local laws and know your rights before you ever get stopped by the cops. The calmer and less confrontational you are, the better luck you will have in dealing with law enforcement.

Cops can generally arrest you for something as flimsy as suspicion of illegal activity. If a cop tells you to stop and you run, that's a charge of resisting arrest right there.

Never touch a cop in any way. That can be defined as assault.

The civil rights people say that you are under no obligation to answer any questions the police might ask you, you don't have to present identification or tell the police your name or any other information if they stop you. Technically, a judge might have that power but not the police.

The exception to this rule is if you are stopped driving (as opposed to being a passenger) in a car, you must show your license, insurance and proof of car registration.

The civil rights people also say that cops have limited power to search you without a warrant.

If they suspect you have a weapon on you, they can do a cursory search only, looking for weapons only, not for drugs, money, etc.

Police technically need probable cause to have a reason to suspect that a crime has been committed before they can search you, your car, your house, your luggage, etc. unless they ask you for permission and you, wanting to get it over with nothing to hide, agree.

You do not have to consent to these searches if they ask and you refuse. Don't resist them, just say they have no probable cause, you're minding your own business, not acting suspiciously, so there's no legal right to search you.

Now, having said all that about what the ACLU and other legal experts say, generally, it doesn't work that way in real life. It's a two way street. You supposedly have your rights. The cops have their bag of dirty tricks.

Most people are ignorant of their rights and the cops generally do what they want. If you challenge them or act snotty, they will use whatever dirty tricks they have in their arsenal to arrest you and take you in.

If you're breaking the law, you have good reason to be paranoid and nervous which cops are trained to pick up on. If you have nothing to hide, what's the big deal about letting the cop search your trunk if it will help you get rid of him or her faster.

If you are placed under arrest, you must be told what you are being charged with. If you are not under arrest, technically, you are free to walk away but cops in some jurisdictions have these rules now where they can take you in without a charge, just suspicion, for up to 48 hours or so or they will make up some charge like resisting arrest so check up on laws in your area.

The deal is that if you are not under arrest but the cops are hassling you, ask them if you are being charged and if they say no, ask them if they are detaining you and for what reason. If they say no, leave. If they say yes, stay there but keep your mouth shut. You don't have to talk to them.

I watch those shows on the A&E Network where the cops arrest all these street thugs who agree to talk to them because they think it will help them and think they will learn something about how much the cops got on them.

Invariably a high percentage end up confessing. If you're smart, you will wait it out, go to trial and take your chances there or cut a plea bargain after your lawyer sees the evidence against you but before then, there is no advantage to talking to the cops unless you're clearly innocent.

If you are arrested you have the right to contact a lawyer, a bail bondsman, friends, family and others. Your discussions with a lawyer are legally confidential but communication with anyone else can be legally monitored. Expect the phones at the jail to be monitored.

The cops have the right to use dirty tricks to try to get you to confess like make boldface lies and they use this power liberally.

They can try to intimidate or scare you into talking by telling you you're in big trouble and try to soften you up by offering to go easy if you cough up the story.

Technically, the police have no authority to make plea bargain deals or determine the specific charges but they're buddies with the district attorneys who have this power and the two often work together.

If you cooperate with the cops, they might reduce an attempted murder charge down to an assault. They don't particularly care about what charge they slap on you as long as they slap a charge on you with good evidence behind it, part of which is your confession.

Incidentally, most police interrogation rooms have video and audio embedded all over them.

Remember the Miranda statement, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.

It's your call as to whether you want to talk to the cops or not. If you are arrested, you should immediately say you want to talk to your lawyer and exercise your right to remain silent.

Whenever you deal with the police and they do something you don't like, you are legally entitled to get the badge number and vehicle patrol number of all cops you are dealing with simply by asking for them.

Write down your recollection of the event right away as soon as they leave. Look for witnesses who might have seen what happened.

In general, if you're stopped by the cops, be polite and respectful. Stay calm. Don't get into an argument with them. Anything you say or do can be used against you. In all likelihood, there is a camera on in the cop car that stopped you.

Don't make sudden movements. Keep your hands where the police can see them. Don't run away. Don't touch any police officer. Don't resist even if the cop arrests or hassles an innocent man. You can sort it out later.

If you feel you are being wrongly dealt with, don't complain on the scene or tell the cop that you will file a complaint. Just ask for his badge number.

Your best bet is usually to not talk to the cops much but sometimes if you're innocent, it's best just to get it over with.

If you feel your rights have been violated, file a written complaint with the police department's internal affairs division or civilian complaint board.

If you are injured as the result of an incident with the police, take photographs of the injuries as soon as possible.

You don't have to consent to a search of your body, property, car or your house. If you consent to a search, it means whatever the cops find that's illegal, they will use against you legally as opposed to finding something in a search without your consent so the only advantage you have in agreeing to any search is if you're innocent and want to get it over with.

If the police say they have a search warrant, read it before you let them in.

Do not interfere with or obstruct the police if they're not addressing you specifically otherwise they will arrest you for obstruction of justice.

It is not legal for police to arrest you simply for refusing to consent to a search.

If you're given a motor vehicle ticket, you should sign it if asked to otherwise you can be arrested. Don't dispute it right there. It will just make the cop more adversarial towards you. Save it for court.

If the police want to enter your home without probable cause of a crime which is something like a hang-up 911 call, an imminent emergency like somebody screaming in the house or an individual being chased runs in there, you don't have to let them in unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.

If you are arrested, the police have the right to search you and the area close by. In a building like a house, the term "close by" generally refers only to the room you are in.

The American Civil Liberties Union has a flyer called the Bustcard which lists your rights if you get arrested. It can be downloaded at aclu.org.

Getting Arrested Websites

freebeagles.org, what to expect if you are misfortunate to run into trouble with the law

aclu.org drugactionnetwork.com/laws/?content=guilty

actupny.org/documents/whyweget.html, people intent on getting arrested.

connexionscd.org.uk/yourrights_policeandcourts.asp, connexions cornwall and devon, if you are arrested, you have the right to remain silent.

gottrouble.com

gottrouble.com/legal/criminal/criminal_law/arrest.html

handcuffblues.com

jhbail.com, bail bonds co.

macelaws.com/criminal_defense/information_about_arrests.htm

moneymatters101.com/legal/arrested.asp

refuseandresist.org

scbar.org/public/files/docs/gettingarrested.pdf

southgloucestershireyot.org.uk/html/gettingarrested.html

switchmagazine.com/skateboard_storys/getting_arrested_sucks.html

videojug.com/interview/gettingarrested

youandthepolice.com

Bail Bonds, Bondsman Companies

aboutbail.com

bailyes.com

bailfish.com

bailbonds-santabarbara.com, california.

ventura-bail-bonds.com, california.

minutemanbail.com, california.

Life in Jail 1

Over the past 20 years, the police have changed their attitude a lot to arresting people. They don't mess around anymore. They'd rather treat you like a criminal upfront than risking you being a criminal and taking any advantage of any laxness in their arrest procedure.

What this means is that they might holler at you, tell you to get on the ground and manhandle you until they cuff you up.

Cops everywhere are ordered to cuff all their prisoners and it's usually to the back. They might ask you some dumb sounding questions like do you have any contraband or weapons on you.

Contraband means anything illegal.

They will check you over and then transport you to your holding cell. This could either be a cell at the police station or a cell at the county or city jail which you will share with all the other people that have also been arrested that day.

At the jail, they will fingerprint you, take a mugshot and maybe run them through the national crime computer to verify your identity and to see if you've got any outstanding warrants against you for other crimes.

A warrant is an order for your arrest. It's usually issued when you don't go to your court trial or violate your parole/ probation.

They assess a bond on you based on the charge.

This is the amount of money you can put up right there on the spot to get out of jail as already discussed.

If you don't make bail, they put you back into the holding cell for the night. They might lock you up in a single cell or they might put you in a big cell with a bunch of other people.

Forget about all that movie stuff you see about jails. Just about everybody in jail hates it, they're all scared and most of them are docile even if they put up loud exteriors. There might be a TV in the big cell that everyone will be watching or they might be playing cards.

They will look at you but otherwise ignore you. A lot of cons in jail have a lowlife, ghetto look about them. You might stand out a bit if you're healthy, groomed with short hair, kind of like that middle class "what the heck are you doing here with all these criminals" look.

It's all groupthink. When the group of cons are together, it's all loud, boisterous, sarcasm, jokes, etc. but when you're alone with them one on one, they might be curious about you and ask you questions like what's your charge, what kind of work you do, where do you live, etc.

Depending on the jail, they might put you with the arrestees that day or they might put you with a bunch who are waiting to go to court the next day.

Any red-blooded American male probably spent a night or two in jail at one time or another. First, you get arrested. The charge could be either a misdemeanor which means something minor or something more serious which is called a felony.

Overall, your best bet is to cooperate with the police. They can give you a hard time or an easy time. They don't care, they're on the clock, they're just doing their job.

If you don't cooperate, they can add a few extra charges like resisting arrest or breech of peace and they can beat you up too.

What they might do is ask you questions then a little while later ask you the same questions to try to catch you in a lie.

Some corrections guards are alright but some are a suspicious, cynical bunch. This is the first real power they've ever had in their lives. They might feel like they have some power over you and treat you like a scumbag. Guards know they have to work there. Most try to be sociable or at least unobtrusive with the cons.

Whether you have money or not, a public defender is sometimes better because they're at the court all the time, they know the people and if you're using one of them, the judge will perceive you more like a victim of life.

Either that night or early the next morning, they might send you to the district attorney's room and a deputy DA will check you out to determine what to tell the judge, whether to let you go or not.

They might even have a public defender there to talk to all the new arrestees. These people will be young folks right out of law school doing the crappy job of dealing with this low level stuff. All the wealthy arrestees will already have bailed out by then.

Most of your fellow cons will be there for low level stuff like drug possession, shoplifting, traffic violations, drunk and disorderly, domestic violence, assault, etc, a typical night of arrests in any jail.

You sleep on a hard bed or on the floor without a blanket. The next morning they get you up early, feed you a crappy box lunch and they either transport you to the courthouse or they will have a video court thing set up at the jailhouse.

They shackle all the arrestees together and one by one, the judge hears the charges. If the charge is not serious and you've got community ties, they will do an ROR on you, Release You On Your Own Recognizance. That means they give you a date for a trial, a phone number for the public defender's office and they let you go.

In some courts, if it's a simple charge, the judge will let you plead guilty and resolve it right there if you want but if you plead not guilty, they set up a trial date.

In most courts, you don't plead at all, they just set trial date and bond. If they give you bail, you either make it or if you can't, you have to sit in jail in what's called Remand until your trial.

If you serve a lot of days and you're convicted and given jail time, they will subtract the remand time from your sentence. You will do remand in either the city or the county jail just sitting around with all the other cons.

If you go to trial and you're convicted with jail time, you go to jail for real. Many courts give first time offenders probation and community service. Probation means you're free until you get caught and charged for another crime.

Community service means that you can pick from several activities like picking garbage from the side of the highway, working at a food bank, help kids in an orphanage, etc. for x number of hours like 100 hours of community service.

House arrest means that you're allowed to go to work but you have to go home right after. They have several ways to check up on house arrests; random visits by the parole officer, computerized phone checks and a device which you have to connect with via the device on your wrist.

Because of prison overcrowding, the system uses these alternatives to give low level offenders a chance to get it right.

If there's a chance you're going to jail, take care of your affairs before you go to court for sentencing.

If you have property, leave it with relatives over friends over a girlfriend because they will end up keeping it all on you. Have someone ready to take your car and clean your apartment out for storage.

If it's two years less a day and anything less, you usually stay at the county jail which is basically an overcrowded pen with very few rehabilitation courses or anything like that. There are a lot of prisoners there serving short sentences.

Anything more serious and you go to either a state pen or a pen in the federal system depending on the crime. Prisons vary a lot in security (minimum, medium, high), facilities and the activities available.

In some places, the warden gives the prisoners cable TV and weights because they act as babysitters and keep the population manageable.

In others, it's a hard nosed policy. Unlike the county system, in this system you will find the tough guys that wouldn't think twice about robbing you, stabbing you in the back or raping you.

There are real monsters in there serving long sentences with nothing to lose so if you cross them or you got something they want, watch it.

Fortunately, most guys just wanna do their time and get the hell out but watch out for the assholes who might try to get something from you especially if you show signs of weakness and buy a lot of stuff from the commisary.

The truth is that virtually every jail everywhere in the world is overcrowded so if you end up in jail, don't expect much privacy.

In England, prisons have become so comfortable that some people prefer to stay on the inside rather than face life outside.

Life in Jail 2

If you expect to be found guilty of the charges filed against you, you might go for a plea bargain. If you've paid any fines, bring the receipt to court with you so that they don't send you to jail.

Call the prison after you get your Order to Surrender. Bring everything they say on their list. If they say no personal clothing, don't bring any.

Bring as much of personal items like undershorts and toothpaste as you can. No logos are allowed on any clothes. Bring a cheap wristwatch, cheap pens and pencils, athletic equipment like a weight lifting belt, gloves, etc., books to read, phone number book, medicines, doctor's letter, musical instrument, small battery powered night light and your Social Security Card.

If you want to smuggle something in, wait until you get in to learn the ropes. If you get caught up front, you will alienate the guards right off. Don't bring credit cards and bring only a photocopy of your driver's license.

You're not allowed to have paper money in prison. When you arrive, they will take what you have and put it in the trust fund of your Commissary account.

You're not allowed to fold money because it can be used as a bribe. Cigarettes are used for barter. Bring $100 per month times all the months of your sentence to use as spending money to get by. Don't tell anyone you've got money because the other cons will try to "borrow" from you without ever repaying it.

You could get your family at home to send you money but they might change their minds and leave you hanging so bring it in up front.

Food is a luxury item in prison. You will use this money to buy food and other trivial personal items. The prison system doesn't supply you with much.

Watch out for drugs. If you got money, a dealer will try to get you hooked on heroin to suck your money out of you. Money is good to pay other prisoners for favors like an inmate lawyer to help you, a guy in food service to get you something, someone to wash your clothes and make your bed, etc.

The commissary and the black market has such items as radios, TVs, tapes, small fans, street clothes, etc. You will be able to buy things that prisoners who work in places like the kitchen, stationary room, etc. steal.

You can either buy a weapon or make your own. They make knives and blades out of anything.

The jail system is geared to humiliate you and mess with your mind. They might strip you down, make you take your laces out of your shoes, put you in orange prison wear and everytime they move you, even if it's just down the hall, they will shackle you all up together.

Some guards are buddies with the cons, some are neutral but most think you're just another scuzzball and hate being there just as much you.

Most don't even think about you. If you feel humiliated that they all think you're a crook, don't be. You're just another face to them in another day on the job. They just don't care. They're just doing a job. A lot of them are drunks. It's a high stress job.

They might have a prison nurse come over to ask you a bunch of stupid questions about suicide and all that garbage.

Prison is big business, lots of jobs building them and lots of jobs running them. It's all about regimentation and no privacy. Some private companies are getting in on the business taking prisoners under contract from the government.

You're just a meaningless body among hundreds and no employee is gonna stick their neck out for you unless it's a holy roller and you accept Jesus as your personal savior.

Your best philosophy is to keep your mouth shut, look down, act humble, don't look people in the eyes too much or too long because everyone's on edge and some losers are playing a macho game.

They're such losers that that's all they got going for them. Work with the program, take a course, read books, exercise, meditate, do the holy roller thing, keep your nose clean and don't trust too many people. Try to get a job in the kitchen for the food or at the library to educate yourself.

If they have a trade program for something you can always use like plumbing or carpentry, take it. Once you get out, you can make money on the side with these skills.

If there's a library, read their books, educate yourself. If not, get someone on the outside to send a few books a week and maybe subscribe to a few magazines.

You have to learn infinite patience to be around people all the time. Freedom means the freedom to be alone. In many prisons, there's no privacy even when you poop. The toilet is in your cell. You have to poop in front of your cellmate at night.

You have to be very creative if you want to masturbate. If your shower has individual stalls with curtains, you can relieve yourself in there. If not, it's doubtful you will be alone in a cell so whatever situation you're in, you will have to try to do it quietly while your cellmates are snoring away.

Hopefully, your cellmates snore to mask the noise of you pulling yourself. Even at night, you get no privacy. The screws generally walk past every hour or so.

Have a strong soul and strong haven inside because that's what will get you through, your ability to stay calm within yourself regardless of all the crap around you done by the design of the system itself, the trivial crap the guards will throw at you and the general low level character of the loser cons, many of whom talk incessantly all the time.

There's always a din of people talking, many of these losers with outwardly boisterous exteriors to compensate for the way they really feel inside as the losers they really are so you're stuck listening to all these ignorant people with their phony loud conversations and their phony loud laughs.

Some people will take liberties and feel they can talk to you because you're in jail but most will keep their distance if that's what you want. It works just like out in the street, you make friends with a few people, stay neutral with most and some you want to avoid as much as possible.

If anything, you learn how to live with a large group of people if you haven't before like maybe if you were in the military when you were young.

If you're strong, jail won't change you. Use it to get stronger, develop yourself, learn about life.

Ignore most people, find a few good friends to be with if you can. Go out to the yard and exercise everyday.

Family Life, Manage a Family & Have Some Fun

Saturday, 3 May 2014

Book 5. Crime Guide, Crime Job Guide

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