How to Deal With The Police (Explained)

Although you probably don't need an experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney to tell you this --- a lot of it is common sense --- there is a good way and a bad way to "act" when one has contact with law enforcement.  Here are some simple "dos and don'ts." 

1. Do be polite with the police officer;
2. Do identify yourself correctly;
3. Don't argue with the officer;
4. Don't try to explain or make excuses to the officer;
5. Don't discuss your situation with anyone, before talking to an attorney;
6. Don't discuss your situation with anyone else, while you are in custody;
7. Don't try to "make a deal" with the police officers;
8. Don't make any statements to the police, for any reason;
9. Don't sign any statements for the police as the price to go home; and
10. Call The Rolloff Law Office!

If you really want to know more, call the Rolloff Law Office today to set up a FREE CONSULTATION: (612) 234-1165.

Domestic Assault - Explained

As criminal cases go, Domestic Assault is often the most difficult to deal with.  The accusations, which are can be easily made, are extremely serious and no matter the outcome of the case - life changing consequences are often the result. 

Domestic Assault charges are very powerful claims which affect everyone involved. The accused is often concerned with the stress of dealing with their criminal case - the possible betrayal by the loved one who's making the accusation - and the difficulty of working through the feelings of judgment from other individuals in their life.

Often, you feel as though you have no one is listening to you - and you have nowhere to turn. One right choice you can make is to reach out to an experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney - because you need someone on your side, fighting for you, your rights and your future. 

What's Going to Happen?

A conviction for Domestic Assault can mean serious consequences including fines, jail time (or even prison for repeat offenders,) and certain programming - like anger management and chemical dependency treatment or other classes. In addition to any legal punishment the judge might impose, these charges and/or a conviction also come with a handful of collateral consequences that can affect the accused's parental rights, their iimmigration status, their right to own and possess firearms, their living situation and their jobs and employment possibilities.

With all of that on the line, don't you need someone working for you who understands the intense emotions surrounding these serious criminal charges?

Who Can Help?

I do my best to keep clients informed about all aspects of their cases and involve them in their defense. By looking into self-defense claims and witness credibility issues - along with employing powerful defense strategies, my aggressive representation will protect your rights if you have been charged with Domestic Assault.

If you have been charged with a crime of Domestic Violence - my advice is to contact an attorney immediately. An experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney can quickly begin to protect your rights and assure that your side of the story is heard.

Make sure your lawyer takes the time to listen to your point of view and fully understand your objectives.

Arrests Don't Always Mean Convictions - Part 3

As I've gone on about before (and before,) just because someone is arrested - that does not mean that he or she will be convicted.  Upon a first reading of these facts - a driver crashes, has contact with someone who for all intents and purposes appears to be a police officer, is asked to have his blood tested to determine its alcohol content and refuses to do so - one would think that he's guilty violating Minn.Stat. § 169A.20, subd. 2 - which says that it is a crime if a driver refuses a request to take a chemical test to determine the alcohol content of his blood, breath or urine.

However, as the supreme court points out, that request for a test needs to be made by an actual police officer --- not just someone who holds him out to be one.

Granted, this issue is a novel one - and may not soon be repeated; however, this is exactly what keeps this country from becoming "police" state. 

If you're ever charged with a crime, you deserve to have every stone overturned, every fact examined and every issue analyzed.  Some people can do this for themselves, but just as you might not trust your next medical procedure to an untrained friend or family member - if you've been arrested, you owe it to yourself (and to your future) to contact an experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney.

Just because you've been arrested and charged does not mean that your fate is sealed.

DWIs and Public Defenders

There's not doubt about it - Public Defenders provide a great service to their clients. For some, using a Public Defender may be their only option - because they simply don't have the ability to afford a private lawyer. For others - those who might not be inclined to pay for a good defense -  may want to re-evaluate their decision after assessing the information laid out here.

Public Defender - Positives 

1. Allows low income defendants to have legal representation;
2. Experienced Public Defenders may get their clients better results than bad, inexperienced Private Lawyers; and
3. Public Defenders are the best deal going - often their services are free.  

Public Defender - Negatives  

1. You don't choose your own attorney;
2. They're government employees;
3. They're not specialized in any particular area of criminal defense;
4. They're often less experienced - including among their ranks a lot of new attorneys;
5. They often have a lot of cases; 
6. Their caseloads often don't afford them a lot of time to meet with their clients; and
7. Due to the little time they have - they can be  overly interested in resolving case - quickly.

Admittedly, there are many positives (and negatives) not discussed here; however, when seen in comparison to the advantages of hiring a private Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney, such as:

1. You get to select who represents your interests;
2. You can get someone who specializes in DWI Defense;
3. Because they have less clients, they can devote more time to your case; and
4. If your not satisfied with your attorney's job - you can fire him or her. 

In my humble opinion, whenever you're charged with a crime --- regardless of how serious or minor that charge is --- you should contact an experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney as soon as possible.

Failing to attain proper legal counsel could be only slightly worse than not hiring a criminal attorney at all.

Remember, you get one chance at this thing.  A lawyer, be he or she a Public Defender or Private Attorney, can help protect your rights - and fight the government, who can often dominate uninformed and unprotected defendants.

Who's Watching the Watchers?

Seriously?

Let me see if I have this straight ... the government can prosecute you - and when doing so it can keep certain, key forensic evidence from you, your attorney, and the Court --- evidence that shows you to be innocent - and in the end they will not be held accountable for that?

(Oh, did I fail to mention that as a result of their 'illegal' actions - you were convicted, sent to prison, placed on death row and at one point were mere days from being executed.)

Well, according to the United States' Supreme Court - the answer is Yes!

Granted, the exclamation point is mine - as far as I could ascertain, there were no such marks in the Court's opinion.

Having had served as a prosecutor, I understand the need to protect government employees from their own  unintentional stupidity. But, that does not appear an apt description of what went on here - no matter what the majority of the Supreme Court would have you believe - this was not an isolated incident or just a little negligence.  Rather, what this looks like to me was an act of evidence suppression continued over several years and appears to have involved bad judgement by not just one attorney but (rather) a number of individuals in the prosecutor’s office.

The sad truth is prosecutorial misconduct goes on - someplace, everyday - and, although not always leading to a result like that in Mr. Thompson's case, it harms not only the specific object of the governmet's bad act ---  it also hurts everyone of us.  

So, what's the result of the Supreme Court's holding?

Besides giving its (none too subtle) approval to misbehaving prosecutors, what I believe the justices in the majority failed to appreciate is that bad cops, bad lawyers, bad judges and bad convictions all have the force and effect of erroding our confidence in the system as a whole. 

Maybe it is the kool-aid drinker in me that believes that this whole thing (ie., society) "works" because we all blindly believe a couple of maxims. One of the biggest of those being - that there is justice inside the court room and that rather than sending one innocent man to prison we would set one-hundred guilty men free.

Well, after this - maybe I'm indulging in the wrong beverage?