What To Do When Someone is Arrested

Arrested in Wisconsin – what to do?

Dealing with the police can be risky if you don’t know how to act, and that risk is magnified if the police are in the process of arresting you. You must know what to do if you or someone you know is under arrest so you can get a Madison WI lawyer and resolve the situation quickly.

Outward Behavior

Always be polite and try your best to remain calm. You want the police to treat you as someone who is not threatening and who will not create more immediate problems for them. The person who is under arrest, be that you or someone else, should not resist arrest.

However, you should ask specifically if you (or the person the police are concentrating on) is being arrested and if so, on what charges. Past that, and past showing the police your license and car registration if you were pulled over, you need to keep quiet except for:

  • Stating you will not speak with the officer without your lawyer present.

Additional Treatment and Information

As soon as you can, record everything that happened and keep the record in a safe place. A copy should go to your lawyer. If you need medical treatment as a result of the arrest, the incident leading to the arrest, or anything that occurred while you were at the police station or jail, get that treatment as quickly as possible and get records of everything.

Obtaining a Lawyer

You must get a lawyer. Do not agree to do anything once you are in custody without speaking to your lawyer first, including participating in a line-up, answering questions, signing forms, giving consent to search your car or phone, or even volunteering information that the police might not have had. You do have the right to a lawyer, and you have the right to speak to that lawyer without the police listening in.

If you or someone you know has been arrested in Madison WI, you need to get a criminal defense attorney now. Contact Eisenberg Law Offices to set up a consultation as soon as you can.



Madison WI Attorneys Since 1983

