Los Angeles Illegal Search and Seizure Attorney
If you have been searched by police or law enforcement has seized your property, it is natural to feel confused, betrayed, and frightened about what happens next. Law enforcement officers have become aggressive with civil forfeiture and many people have had their property taken without justification. The results of an illegal search, including evidence collected during it, could also mean you are facing criminal charges.
You have options, but you need to make sure you understand how the law protects you. A Los Angeles illegal search and seizure attorney at Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox, LLP is here to help you. Our attorneys are passionate about ensuring our client’s constitutional rights are protected and we will defend you aggressively if you have been victimized by unjust law enforcement action.
Search and Seizure Laws in Los Angeles
The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects you from illegal searches and seizures. You have the right to be secure in your person and in your property. This means police can’t frisk you, make you empty your pockets, search inside of your vehicle, or enter into your home without a warrant or reasonable cause. They also can’t pull your car over or make you submit to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test or other chemical test unless they have reason to stop you and probable cause to suspect impairment.
Even when police are given permission to conduct a search, they may be restricted in the scope of their investigation and may not just be allowed to take whatever they find.
Unfortunately, law enforcement officers conduct illegal searches and take property without legal justification all the time. It can be a long fight to get your seized property back, and it can be a hard fight to keep evidence obtained in an illegal search from being used to secure a criminal conviction.
Search and seizure lawyers at Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox, LLP understand the legal processes used to fight civil forfeiture and suppress illegally-obtained evidence. We’ll assist you not only in keeping information obtained in an illegal search from being used, but also in preventing the use of any evidence obtained as a direct result of that unjustified intrusion into your privacy. This means if the illegal search led to officers finding additional evidence, that evidence cannot be used against you either because it is considered “fruit of the poisoned tree.”
Getting Legal Help
Although the Constitution protects you, it is up to you to stand up for yourself if your rights were violated. When you are facing any type of criminal charges or have had your property taken from you as a result of an illegal search or seizure, do not wait to get the legal help you need. Call Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox, LLP now for help.
