Q: A detective has left me a voicemail twice now asking me to call him. Should I return his call or have an attorney do it?
I am on probation currently. I have not had any contact with law enforcement and have not committed any new offenses of which I am aware. So it perplexes me why a detective is calling me. I know not to talk to police under any circumstances other than to invoke my 5th Amendment rights. I cannot afford to retain an attorney but I wonder if hiring one to contact him for me will motivate him to back off. I am inclined to ignore his attempts at contact for now and wait to see if/when legal representation is necessary.
A: You need to hire an attorney to call the Detective back and find out what they would want. Many attorneys will do this and only charge a retainer if you are being investigated for a crime. If you speak to the Detective yourself you need to be aware that everything you say can be used against you.
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A:
I would not have you call back until you see an attorney. In my office, we have the client come in for an appointment and call the Detective on the spot, to understand what the issue is or was. It saves you and the attorney time, energy, and protects you from an ambush by police. Usually, the DET will ask you to come in to the Police Station. NEVER go to the Police Station alone.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck!
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