The police asked me to come in. Do I have to go?

00:00So the police have asked you to come in for questioning. Do you have to go? And if you do go, can you go without an attorney? You do not have to go. Generally, when they ask you to come in, it's voluntary. And there are certain cases where it's not voluntary. For example, when you're under arrest or legally detained or you've been served with a subpoena. So a subpoena is a court order. So you're required to go. And when you're under arrest or legally detained, you are not allowed to leave. If you are under arrest and legally detained, my advice would be to definitely say, I am requesting my right to remain silent. I would to have my attorney present. And then you can decide with your attorney whether or not you need to speak with them. Furthermore, can you go without an attorney? Legally speaking, yes, you can. Practically speaking, absolutely not. So you have the absolute right to have a lawyer present whenever you're being questioned, even if you're not under arrest. Police are trained to gather evidence. So the questions that they ask you will be to elicit some specific response. So it's important to have someone there that can protect you, even if you're innocent or even if you're just as a witness. So it's important to have someone there that can be on your side and make sure that you're not digging yourself into a hole or giving answers that you probably shouldn't. That's not going to be helpful to the matter at hand. So most innocent people can say things that are misunderstood and then later used against them. If you want a lawyer, you clearly say, I'm invoking my right to remain silent. I need to speak to an attorney. And then you stop talking. So remember, if you choose to not go, there is no admission of guilt. It's not of any legal significance. If they later want to compel your appearance, they know how to do that legally. Bottom line is staying silent and requesting an attorney in any circumstance is the best choice when police questioning is involved.