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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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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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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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No. The courts have made it clear that police officers do not have to tell people that they can refuse to consent to a warrantless search. Also, contrary to the belief perpetuated by popular police television shows, a person will not be read their rights subsequent to being taken into custody. A person only needs to be Mirandized when...
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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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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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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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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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During a legitimate traffic stop, police may order the driver and any passengers out of the vehicle. This rule is intended to protect officers' safety, but it's often used for investigatory purposes...
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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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Everyone should be trained to assert their constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment in order to avoid the hassle and humiliation of police misconduct and illegal searches. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics report on citizen-police contacts...
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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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College students suffer from an unfortunate lack of privacy rights in many situations. The university owns the dorm, so school officials can often search rooms at their own discretion. College students still have 4th Amendment rights that apply in other situations...
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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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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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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 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... Ever.
Evan S. Rosenberg, Esq. 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 (2005). He earned a J.D. at the Florida International University College of Law (2010) and, there, was 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. Presently, Evan is an Assistant Public Defender handling felony cases. 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, Esq. Associate Director
Jeff is the Secretary and a founding board member of Know My Rights. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University (2003) 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. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Florida International University College of Law (2010), ranked 3rd in his class. While there, he worked as a research assistant for Professor Thomas Baker in the fields of Constitutional Law, Supreme Court Jurisprudence, and Federal Appellate Practice. The combination of his 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.
Presently, Jeff is an associate with Fuerst Ittleman. He focuses his practice in the areas of Administrative Law, Anti‑Money Laundering, and Civil and Commercial Litigation. He is also experienced in Health Law and Appellate Practice. He originally joined Fuerst Ittleman as a law clerk during 2008, and during his time with Fuerst Ittleman, Jeff has assisted in the effective representation of clients in litigation and appellate practice against several federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He has also assisted in the successful representation of clients before the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration both before the Division of Administrative Hearings and Appeals and the Florida First District Court of Appeal. Jeff has assisted in drafting numerous pleadings and motions for the firm's civil and commercial litigation practice. Additionally, he has assisted in the drafting of legal opinions regarding anti‑money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance.
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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What are we doing?
The 4th Amendment Podcast
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