Many folks ask their Tampa criminal lawyer whether they are being recorded in the back seat of the cop car after their arrest. Yes, you were being recorded nearly the entire time from the period you were arrested to when you were booked in the jail. Unfortunately, many folks first learn this when they are viewing the evidence with their Tampa criminal defense lawyer for the first time from the back seat of the cop car. Long story short, law enforcement in the Tampa Bay area are outfitted generally with microphones to identify and record nearly all statements an arrestee makes during their entire encounter. As a Tampa criminal lawyer, I have seen a wide assortment of technology utilized by law enforcement to assist in recording video and capturing audio of individuals during their arrest. If they are not outfitted with some sort of microphone, you can almost certainly guarantee that the back seat of their police cruiser is outfitted with a video camera to record and document every movement and statement you made during your time in the back of the police car. For a brief overview of the technology available, please check out this website advertising available technologies. Again as a Tampa criminal lawyer, I have seen countless similar technologies utilized by law enforcement throughout the Tampa Bay Area.
Nothing is more frustrating for a Tampa criminal lawyer than hearing their client confess to a crime in the back seat of the cop car while they believe the police officer is still out collecting evidence and not reporting what they are saying. Again, nothing can be further from the truth – you are being recorded and documented every moment you are in the police car, police station and the booking area of the Hillsborough County Jail. Our Tampa criminal lawyers have handled criminal cases where booking deputies from the Hillsborough County Jail come in and testify about statements made during the booking process. Most recently, we handled a second-degree murder case, where the booking deputy was brought in to testify about statements concerning our client’s self-defense claim that he made during the booking process at the Hillsborough County Jail. Again, just like we discuss elsewhere on our Tampa criminal lawyer blog, you have the right to remain silent. Please use it to protect your rights and interests. Unfortunately, as a Tampa criminal lawyer, we can only defend your rights and interests with the evidence that’s been previously collected prior to our involvement. Once we’re involved, we’re going to do everything we can to prevent you from making these sorts of mistakes, but you are responsible for minimizing the evidence and proof against you prior to our involvement, including not making statements to law enforcement in opposition to your rights under the Fifth Amendment in the back seat of the cop car.
If you have questions concerning a Tampa criminal case and/or your rights under the Fifth Amendment, contact the Tampa criminal lawyers of Hackworth Law for a free case consultation. We’ve handled thousands of criminal matters throughout the Tampa Bay area and look forward to working with you to develop a specialized unique strategy to defend your interests in your case. If you would like to contact one of our Tampa criminal lawyers immediately, please use the “contact us now” tab in the upper right-hand corner of our website. We appreciate your time in checking out our Tampa criminal lawyer blog and look forward to working with you in the future.