Your Rights If You<br />Get Arrested: Explained According to the Associated Press, more<br />than 10,000 people have been arrested during<br />recent protests across the United States. Here are some ways you can<br />legally protect yourself if you’re taken<br />into police custody for protesting. Although you’re legally required to disclose<br />your identity when arrested, it is your fifth<br />amendment right to remain silent otherwise. Do not allow police to pressure you into<br />disclosing incriminating information and<br />do not sign anything or do anything<br />without an attorney present. You have the right to a phone call if arrested,<br />and police are not permitted to listen to a<br />call being made to a lawyer for legal help. If apprehended, police are allowed to remove<br />anything from your person, but they do need<br />a warrant to search your personal devices. You have the right to deny any sort of<br />request for access to your phone, whether<br />it be a passcode or fingerprint ID. After being arrested, police may ask for<br />a DNA sample and even try to collect<br />that sample without your consent. The Legal Aid Society advises those arrested to<br />not drink, smoke or chew gum in police custody,<br />as they may collect it and use it for DNA. Most importantly, if you feel your rights<br />have been violated in any way during an<br />arrest, it’s important to remember and<br />record as much information as possible. That includes badge numbers, patrol car<br />numbers, officer names, their agency and<br />witness contact information.
