Legal Tips for Police Officers

This course will be conducted by Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes and will benefit patrol officers, investigators, and supervisors.

Police work is difficult, and an officer’s uncertainty about the law can make the job even harder when dealing with issues like search and seizure, interviewing witnesses, or just investigating possible criminal behavior.  This course will provide legal guidance on these and many other topics, so that evidence police officers obtain will be admissible at trial and the officers will be able to avoid civil liability for themselves and their agencies as they go about their law enforcement duties.  Join Judge Shanes for a practical discussion of important legal issues that currently impact police operations.

Topics include:

• Avoiding the need to give a suspect Miranda warnings
• Using the “knock and talk” doctrine to question people
• The latest developments regarding vehicle searches
• Benefits for officers and agencies from obtaining search warrants
• How a “consensual encounter” differs from a person being “stopped” by police
• Relying upon an anonymous 911 caller to conduct a vehicle stop
• New developments in the law regarding consent searches
• Searches incident to arrest and the U.S. Supreme Court decision on cell phones
• How to interview witnesses so their statements will be admissible at trial if they later change their story