Your Life, Your Rights: Being Stopped by Police

Every person living in America has rights. This is true no matter if the person is a citizen or not. Some of these rights protect people when they work with law enforcement, including police. Your rights when you are stopped by police include:

  1. Get info in ways you understand and can use.
  2. Be given accommodations if you need them.
  3. Stay quiet even if you are asked questions.
  4. Say no to having yourself or your things searched.
  5. Get a lawyer even if you can not afford one.
  6. Not sign anything without your lawyer there.
  7. Record the meeting you have with the officer.
  8. Make a phone call if you are arrested.
  9. File a complaint for broken rights and bad treatment.

Resource

To help people learn about their rights when stopped by the police, BHDDH created a one-page flyer. This flyer can be used as a fact sheet about your rights.