Member Submission: Address Verification in Tallahassee
Hello. Just to let fellow people required to register know: my local city police showed up for my verification. I am no longer on Probation. I register through my county sheriff not the city. They asked me questions not asked during the regular registration (Do I have an internet service provider? Who is my closest living relative and what is their phone number? Do I have any minor children or grandchildren? What are their names and ages? How often do they come here? ).
I at first told the officer I wouldn’t answer them without asking my attorney. He said he’d be in his car for a bit if I wanted to contact the lawyer. i luckily got a hold of him and he told me to answer the questions cause he didn’t think they were anything that threatened me. The cop returned and I answered. He then told me that his lieutenant told him that if I didn’t answer they would contact SVU and would arrest me.
It’s so hard to know what to do. I feel confident in following my lawyer’s advice, but I would like to know if the cop is just threatening me without justification. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
J
What lawyer did you use? Because Jensen and Davis would have told you not to answer those questions.
It sounds like you are being investigated. And you should not have answered any question innocent or not. You have the right to remain silent and most of the time you should. Considering they will use any word you say against you.
I would recommend recording all interactions. I have a habit of keeping my phone in my hand whenever there’s a knock on the door and if it’s a cop or my PO, hold it up. Betting the encounter would have been completely different if you had.
Dustin
We have security cameras at our front entrance. When the officer tells me he is recording. I point to our security cameras and say “That’s ok, we are as well”. Once I was asked to step out into the yard. I asked “Am I under arrest? and he said he did not want to be filmed. I said “Just like you told me, if you don’t have anything to hide, what is the issue?”
I have never heard of ANYONE arrested for failure to answer police officer questions.
That’s kind of Fifth Amendment 101. Even the police know it. It’s an empty threat if I ever heard one.
Now, it’s possible one could be arrested in that situation, but not unless they were planning to arrest you anyway, answers or no.
Of course, probation officers are different. Their questions, you should answer, and answer truthfully.
And I am not referring to registration. In that case, what you must answer, and when you must answer them, are spelled out in law, and that does not include the situation above.
Jacob
From my former law enforcement days, like I said to another poster on here, a cop will lie to cover their behinds. If they arrest you for failing to answers their questions, that is not what the charge will state. They (some) will make up something like you threatened them or made an aggressive move towards them.
I always refused to go to court because I either had to also lie to cover the officer (Which I would not do) or have to say the officer was a liar which would have caused me to end up in a lake somewhere in the future, floating face down.
You would be surprised, especially in larger departments, the Mafia like groups that are formed amongst some officers. And no I am not talking about the movies, I mean in real life. I felt bad for the other officers in the Derek Chauvin case. They were in a dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t situation.
He was their superior and anything they did either way they were getting fired. Stop Chauvin and get demoted or fired, not do anything to help the situation and get fired and arrested. I was in that situation so many times I often had to go puke afterwards and had nightmares many times.
The rate of suicide for cops is higher than reported. The reason is, if you commit suicide, your family does not get your pension so cause of death is often marked as something else.
Yes He Is Violating The 4th And 5th Amendments Of The United States Constitution!
Personally, I think talking to law enforcement AT ALL puts you at significant and unnecessary risk.
If they did that to me I would have an attorney contact them and try to establish that they should not be talking to me or even coming near me or my family. I certainly would not be allowing law enforcement onto my property. If that didn’t work, I would sue them.
It is risky enough just be listed on the Registries, there is no need to add to the risk by ever interacting with law enforcement.
I’m also in Tallahassee. I haven’t had my visit yet, but I was thinking maybe you live within the city limits? Maybe there’s a new protocol with TPD to make their presence known? If you’re outside city limits and TPD is showing up, that would be weird to be outside their jurisdiction. Maybe another chat with your attorney is in order for clarification. Report your findings back here, of course…