What if you’re not sure a police officer is really an officer?
A man pulls up beside you on the highway and tells you to pull over, motioning out the window. You have no idea what happened, but you think maybe he needs help, so you pull over. Then he comes up to you, wearing normal street clothes. He tells you that he is a police officer, that you are under arrest and that you need to come with him.
Now what? Do you just go get in this stranger’s car and hope for the best? Or do you lock your door and drive away? If this is someone impersonating an officer in order to kidnap you, for instance, you may need to flee just to protect yourself. If it is a police officer, though, they could then claim you were evading the law.
The problem here is that you honestly may not know. You’re not trying to break the law. You just do not understand what’s happening, and you know that whatever choice you make could have a massive impact on the rest of your life.
Evading a police officer is a serious charge, but keep in mind that the officer needs to have:
- Proper markings on their vehicle
- Special vehicle lighting that makes it clear it is a police car
- A siren on the car, in many cases
- A police uniform that is easily identifiable
In other words, it needs to be obvious that you really are dealing with the police for you to get convicted of fleeing from an officer. If you didn’t know that\’s what you were doing, you may be able to fight the charges. If you have any questions about your rights and options, our helpful website can answer them today.
