CRIMINAL LAW
CRIMINAL CHECK
TALK TO A CRIMINAL LAWYER BEFORE YOU TALK TO THE POLICE BY GRETCHEN DRUMMIE
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eacher John Smith wipes the chalk from his hands and picks up a message from his cell phone, oblivious to the gathering clouds. Seconds later, he lowers into a chair, stomach roiling, as the granite voice of a police offi cer tells him he has to go to the station
tomorrow, to "talk" — with no explanation. And so, as a neophyte with the criminal justice system, Smith goes in,
without calling a lawyer. Aſt er all, he has to do what the police say — doesn't he? "You are under no obligation to report yourself to a
police station under any circumstances," says Toronto criminal lawyer Patrice Band, whose practice deals largely with criminal matters involving teachers and other professionals. "It sounds self-serving but the fi rst thing you have to do when you get that call is contact a lawyer so that
