Q: If a police officer has to beak the law to obtain evidence, is that evidence permissible in court?
I was cited for not coming to a complete stop at a flashing red light. The police officer was illegally parked in the middle of the street with no exterior lights on at 2am. There are signs advising of no parking, standing, or stopping directly in front of where the officer was parked. The closest legal parking area would not allow the officer to clearly view the the traffic light.
A: A judge will likely base the decision to allow or disallow evidence of what the officer was doing on whether or not the evidence is relevant to your guilt or innocence. Unless the officer's actions affected your failure to stop, then you will have a hard time showing relevance.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
