What Should You Do If You See Someone You Know Getting Arrested?

Seeing someone you know get arrested can be a frightening experience even if you aren't in any sort of trouble. However, you need to remain calm so that you can help the person instead of making the situation worse. Here's what you should do if you see someone you know getting arrested.

Stay Calm

Any sort of arrest is a tense situation. Don't make things more chaotic by losing your cool.

The best way to help someone is to stay calm and keep a clear mind so you can think through the next steps you need to take. If you can't remain calm, you won't be able to help and could end up making things worse.

Don't Approach the Police Officers

When police arrest someone, they're often faced with a family member or friend trying to stop the arrest or hurt them. They have no way of knowing whether you intend to cause them harm, especially if you appear visibly upset.

Don't go close to them, and don't shout at them demanding immediate answers. Instead, remain a respectful distance away where they can see you. When things calm down, one of the officers will probably ask you if you're involved or know the person.

Always keep your hands out of your pockets so they don't think you're reaching for a weapon. If one officer is off to the side, maybe guarding the cars, you can try asking them what's going on, but remain polite.

Find Out Where They're Taking the Person

When you're able to talk to the police officers, find out where they're taking the person. Don't scream, "Where are you taking him?!" but calmly ask how to bail the person out.

In some cases, there won't be bail, and you can pick the person up from the police station when they're done with the booking process. In other cases, you might need to wait until the person is taken to court and bail is set.

Call a Lawyer

If you know a lawyer, call them as soon as possible. The earlier a lawyer gets involved, the more they may be able to help.

If you don't know a lawyer, don't worry. The public defender usually handles arraignments for all arrestees even when they're not eligible for a public defender at trial. However, you will still want to find a lawyer as soon as possible to help with the pretrial process.

To schedule a consultation with an experienced criminal-defense attorney, contact a local criminal-law firm today after visiting sites such as http://www.hardeeandhardee.com.


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