In movies and TV shows, you sometimes see officers plant evidence. They know they want to arrest someone, but they haven’t caught them in the act. The officer intentionally plants the evidence, pretends to “find” it, and then makes the arrest.
But is this just something that writers use to get a reaction out of the audience? Or is it something that actually happens in real life? Is there a chance that you could be arrested after a police officer plants evidence that you committed a crime?
It happens more than people realize
The reality is that there are many cases where police officers are accused of planting evidence. For example, there was a drunk driving arrest where an officer allegedly opened a bottle of alcohol that was previously sealed – therefore making it legal to have in the car – and poured it out on the ground. The officer then put the empty bottle in the car and arrested the man on drunk driving charges.
There have also been cases where officers are accused of planting drugs. In some situations, they’ve even been accused of engaging in a conspiracy. Officers may work together to plant the drugs or to cover up the event after it takes place.
But it’s not just drugs and alcohol. In yet another case, a man was shot by police officers. He survived and claimed that the police officers had planted a gun on him. He was eventually exonerated and given a settlement of $230,000.
What options do you have?
You trust the police officers to uphold your rights as a U.S. citizen and to serve and protect the public. But these examples show that they may actually violate your rights, and it’s very important for you to know what legal steps to take.