Published:
Friday, March 4, 2011
I heard about a case some years ago where a person arrested by the police was advised of his rights and responded by remaining silent and doing a series of push-ups. When the police asked what he was doing, he said, “Exercising my rights!”
Do you know your rights in contacts with the police and the best ways to assert them? Some great resources have the answers.
An organization called Flex Your Rights has a very informative video that explains Ten Rules for Dealing with Police. You can watch clips from the video or buy one for yourself at the Flex Your Rights website.
Stopped by police while driving and feel it was a result of racial profiling? Confronted on the street near your home by police demanding your ID even though you did nothing wrong? Are the police knocking on your door asking politely if they can “just look around”? The video covers all those situations and more, explaining your rights and then showing exactly the right way to assert your rights to the police. It tells you the right words to use and lets you practice using them. Importantly, it also tells you what NOT to do. Don’t run. Don’t let yourself be tricked into giving up your rights. And don’t convey your intent to file a complaint; you can always do that later.
You really should watch this video! ACLU-WA recently used it as part of a Know Your Rights Panel at the Chief Seattle Club.
And the ACLU has more information to help you know your rights with law enforcement.
Read it! Share it! Just like exercise makes your body stronger, exercising your rights is an important part of keeping them strong.
You can also help us improve police practices in Washington state. Sign our petition asking the Criminal Justice Training Commission to revamp police training to ensure that our public servants are the peace officers that we need.
