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Traffic stops typically occur as a result of suspected moving violations committed by the driver of the vehicle. Passengers cannot be held responsible for the driver's conduct and are generally free to leave, unless police become suspicious of them during the course of the stop...
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Your rights do not disappear if the officer threatens to call in the dogs, so don't let this all-too-common tactic intimidate you into consenting to a search. You have several options...
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Videotaping or photographing police in public places is usually legal, so long as you don't interfere with their activities. Nonetheless, doing so will often get you arrested...
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No. The Supreme Court has never ruled that police must present the warrant when performing a search. The purpose of the warrant is to...
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Be aware that private security personnel outnumber police officers in the United States by three to one. As a result, you may be more likely to be confronted by a security guard than by a police officer. You must also be aware of the following places where security personnel (governmental or otherwise) are permitted to search you without a warrant...
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Generally not. The Bill of Rights protections that matter most during police encounters are mandated by the U.S. Constitution as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court, and all states are required to follow them. States can offer more protection of these rights, but not less. There are some variations regarding...
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This is one of those "it depends on the circumstances" questions. Police can obtain consent to search from anyone with control over the property; however any occupant of a residence can refuse consent, even if other occupants agree to a search. Unfortunately, you must be present in order to assert your refusal. The Supreme Court has ruled that...
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The sad fact is that most people believe that they are under some kind of obligation to acquiesce when an officer contacts them and asks permission to search them or their belongings. The truth is exactly the opposite...
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As a general rule, searches conducted without a valid search warrant signed by a judge violate the Fourth Amendment, but like most rules of law, there are a number of explicit exceptions. In fact, most searches occur without warrants because police take advantage of these exceptions to the Fourth Amendment...
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No. We teach people that they have rights, and that these rights are secured by the principal documents that guarantee our civil liberties -- the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. An informed individual who invokes his constitutional protections is doing exactly what our nation's founders intended. They created these documents to...
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Yes. Police can, will, and often do lie; especially if it helps them make arrests. The rules regarding entrapment usually tip in favor of law-enforcement, so police won't hesitate to trick you into incriminating yourself or others...
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Yes. Minors generally have the same rights as adults. For example, minors can refuse searches and decline to answer questions without an attorney present. Nevertheless, minors face unique challenges when attempting to exercise these rights...
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This is a tricky issue. The simple answer is that citizens who are minding their own business are not obligated to "show their papers" to police. In fact, there is no law requiring citizens to carry identification of any kind. Once you get passed the surface, however, things get much more complicated...
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Unfortunately, many people get fooled by some version of this commonly used police officer's line: "Everything will be easier if you just cooperate". That's true to some extent -- it will make things much easier for the police officer who's trying to arrest you! -- but when it comes to you consenting to searches and answering incriminating questions, it couldn't be further from the truth...
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No. If a police officer asks your permission to search, you are under no obligation to consent. The main reason why officers ask is because they don't have enough evidence to search without your consent. Don't expect an officer to tell you of your right not to consent. Any time you consent to a search request you are naively waiving your constitutional rights.
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Staff & Board of Directors |
Brandon G. Little Executive Director
Brandon is the President and Founder of Know My Rights. Having previous non-profit as well as college/youth marketing experience, Brandon is an excellent candidate to oversee the continuing growth and development of Know My Rights. He owns two apparel and equipment companies targeted at the boardsport industries and operates a marketing and media management firm specializing in youth marketing and print media. An avid surfer, his second home will always be the beaches of South Florida, and when the ocean goes flat he can often be found tucked away in his workshop designing and manufacturing custom surfboards. These creative outlets have forever made him an innovator and free-thinker, and it is these qualities that make Brandon an invaluable asset to the future success of Know My Rights.
The preceding story is his, and Know My Rights is the result. With the exception of that one experience, he has never been arrested, nor has he ever been charged with any crime.
Evan S. Rosenberg Associate Director
Evan is the Treasurer and a founding board member of Know My Rights. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies and a minor in Criminal Justice. He is currently working towards a J.D. at the Florida International University College of Law. There, he is the President of the Jewish Law Students Association, a Representative in the Student Bar Association, and an active member of the FIU chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He is a motivated and hard working individual with a keen ability to think outside the box. Since the inception of Know My Rights, Evan has wholly shared in Brandon's goal of making a better educated and ultimately more just society through civil rights activism and legal education. KMR could not function if not for Evan's continuing hard work and dedication.
Jeffrey Molinaro Associate Director
Jeff is the Secretary and a founding board member of Know My Rights. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Florida Atlantic University where he served as an officer in the Political Science Honors Society, Jeff entered the education field, teaching middle and high school in Broward and Palm Beach counties before embarking on a new career path in the law. The combination of his growing legal knowledge and past experience as a school teacher brings unique insight to the direction in which KMR programs are constructed. A long-time football player and coach, strategic planning is almost second nature to him. That, coupled with his familiarity with and understanding of the target demographic for KMR programs is instrumental in constructing lectures and workshops that are ideally suited for the people Know My Rights wants to reach.
Muhammed Malik Director of Community Relations
A Miami native, born from a fusion of what some might consider "conflicting" Kashmiri, Pakistani, Nepalese, and Indian heritages, Muhammed was raised to cherish racial and cultural cooperation. Throughout his life, however, he experienced racial and cultural conflict while living in rural Georgia, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Pakistan, and in Haitian and Jewish communities in Miami-Dade County. These images of cooperation and conflict, harmony and discord, fascinated him and motivated him to pursue a double major in International Relations and Sociology/Anthropology at Florida International University, where he also pursued a graduate degree in Religious Studies. Muhammed currently balances his time between work, socio-political activism, the arts, and writing. He previously worked for the Human Services Coalition as its project support specialist, and is currently involved with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, Amnesty International's Corporate Action Network, Imagine Miami's Civic Action Network, Cop-Watch Miami, and the Center for Pan-African Development.
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The 4th Amendment Podcast
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