Police stop: calm and right
Choose your federal state and what it is about, you are guided step by step. At each step you see the legal basis to show.
Without a selection we only show the law that applies nationwide. Most of it (staying silent, a lawyer, a home search) is the same everywhere anyway.
The most important things first
- Stay calm and polite: that is your greatest advantage.
- Personal details: yes. The matter: say nothing.
- No physical resistance, even if you think the measure is wrong. Fight it later with a complaint or a lawyer, not on the spot.
- Do not sign anything you do not understand.
- When in doubt: stay silent and ask for a lawyer.
What is it about right now?
My most important rights, to show
- I do not have to say anything about the matter (right to remain silent).§ 136, § 163a StPO
- I have the right to bring in a lawyer.§ 137 StPO
- My home may in principle only be searched with a judicial warrant.Art. 13 GG, § 105 StPO
- A search of me or my belongings requires a legal basis.§ 102 StPO / Polizeigesetz
- I will give my personal details.§ 163b StPO, § 111 OWiG
Show it calmly and factually, not preachy. The point is to know your rights, not to provoke.
Rights during a police stop by federal state
General information, not legal advice (RDG). The states' police law is often reformed, in case of doubt the current statute applies. This feature does not listen in and does not record anything. In an emergency: stay calm, cooperate where necessary, and get legal advice afterwards.