Lima NAACP president speaks from experience on dealing with law enforcement - LimaOhio.com
LIMA — It was June 18, 2014, when Rev. Ronald Fails was arrested by Lima Police for soliciting a prostitute.
The lessons he learned from that incident have made him believe that the police aren’t your friend.
“I’ve had many encounters with law enforcement. I too have fallen victim to this — not recognizing that these are not my friends — engaging them on a level that was to my own detriment, but you know, experience makes perfect so we now know they’re not your friends so you need to deal with them for who they are,” Fails said.
Fails, who is the local NAACP president, held a news conference on Saturday to make the public aware of a new pamphlet they are making available to the public called “Shut Your Mouth: How to Interact with Law Enforcement.”
It provides such tips as, if you’re stopped while in your car, “Upon request, present your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance.”
If you are arrested, “Immediately and clearly state your refusal to speak to the police and make a request for an attorney. Do not make any statements other than giving your name and address.
“If you are under 18 years old, ask for your parents to be contacted immediately.”
The pamphlet also stresses that you “do not make any decisions until you have spoken with your attorney. Do not allow the police to trick you into saying anything. Remember, the police can lie to get you to confess to a crime.”
“The purpose of the pamphlet is to give instructions to people when interacting with law enforcement. The idea behind it is to follow the Fifth Amendment. We recognize in our community especially, there is a problem of people engaging in law enforcement without the presence of counsel that is leading to, in some cases, convictions that may not be justifiable and we want to warn people that when dealing with law enforcement, they’re not there as your friend. Their job is to pursue criminals and to get convictions, period,” Fails said.
Fails has seen others get into trouble by opening their mouths.
“I sat in a courtroom following several of these cases that were going through the system and heard the detective say when challenged by the defense attorney, ‘Yes, I lie. I do whatever it takes to get a conviction.’ So that tells you everything and most of us go in to engage law enforcement, assuming they’re about doing what’s right, assuming that they’re just assuming that they are committed to the right thing,” Fails said.
The pamphlets can be picked up at the NAACP offices at 2451 Harding Highway, or you can call them at 419-516-1122.
Reach Sam Shriver at 567-242-0409.
source: https://www.limaohio.com/news/483071/lima-naacp-president-speaks-from-experience-on-dealing-with-law-enforcement
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.