Some people ignore pending legal issues until they have no other choice. For example, a surprising number of people don’t act to protect themselves when they learn they are the focus of a police investigation. Instead, they wait until the police arrest them.
However, the longer you wait, the more vulnerable you could become. After all, police will continue to gather evidence against you in any way that they can. What are some of the common means for law enforcement to build a case against you?
They talk to your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers
The people around you may have information about your daily schedule or what you do on the weekends that might affect the case police want to bring against you. Even those who just want to help you defend yourself could accidentally say or do something that directly leads to charges.
They will search where they can to gather evidence
Police officers usually need permission or a warrant to search, but there are places they can search without either of those things. The police could go through your trash once you put your can out on the sidewalk. There has even been a Supreme Court case out of California with a ruling that affirmed the right of police to search your trash.
They might also be able to search common areas in the space where you live or where you work. Permission from others could lead to them finding evidence that they think supports their case against you.
They may follow you or try to interact with you
Figuring out your daily schedule, with whom you exercise and what you do after work could play a role in the investigation. Your daily habits and hangouts can also be a source of more people for the police to question or more places for them to actively search for evidence.
Police officers may also occasionally approach you and try to get you to cooperate with them. Even if they only elicit a few sentences out of you each time, small amounts of information could help them build a case or show contradictions in your statements that hurt your credibility.
Rather than waiting for the police to have enough information to arrest you, you may want to start actively protecting yourself once you learn you are the focus of a criminal investigation. The earlier you learn about the possible charges, the easier it may be for you to eventually defend yourself.
