Being Arrested, A Play by Play

The Initial Encounter: Lights Behind You

You’re driving, there’s lights behind you. You pull over, stomach churning. You talk to the officer. It doesn’t go well. Maybe you’re asked to do a field sobriety test. Maybe not, it’s a reckless driving thing. Regardless, the police officer is making you nervous, you’re not exactly at your best, this really isn’t going well.

The Arrest: Shock and Cuffs

You’re out of the car when you hear, “I’m arresting you for …”
That’s a shock. Here’s another, you are handcuffed. They are not gentle. You are cuffed behind, hands behind your back. It hurts your shoulders; the cuffs are cold and immediately cut into your wrists. You are led to the backseat of the police cruiser. You have to be pushed down as you crouch, the police officer’s hand on your head to protect you from smashing into the door frame, and step into the back – not having the use of your arms makes this almost impossibly hard. Somehow, you slid into the back. Two things hit you simultaneously – first, there is no backseat just a rock-hard plastic shell . . . and it smells, reeks of antiseptics. Second, it really – really – hurts to sit on handcuffed hands that are pushed back on a hard plastic surface. That’s before the cop straps the seat belt on, now it really hurts.

Arrival at the Station: Raw Wrists and Routines

By the time you get to the police station your wrists will be throbbing and raw and your fingers will most likely be well on their way to being completely numb. The good news, feeling will come back soon as the cuffs come off. The bad news, as they ‘unthaw’ they will hurt. A lot.

Processing: Mug Shots, Fingerprints, and No Sympathy

Processing. You get the mug shot. Stand in front of the height grid and look ahead, turn to the right, turn to the left. It goes quickly because no one cares what you look like.

A quick word here about the officers’ attitudes – you’re nothing special. This is something they do every day. If you’re not being disruptive or presenting some kind of medical emergency, it’s routine for them. For you, it’s new, it’s loud, it’s a kaleidoscope of images, vertigo is a common sensation – as is nausea. It smells. Always. It’s somehow made worse because it’s so obvious no one cares about what you’re going through.

Fingerprints – there’s the old fashioned rolled on black ink, roll a finger at a time on a cardboard paper – both hands. Sometimes it’s an iPad like screen that does it all electronically and you’re done in seconds. If you go the old-fashioned way, don’t worry, the ink will come off in a day or two – the treated paper they give you to clean up with will only make the mess on your fingertips more smudgy.

You will turn over all your possessions, they will go into a plastic bag, be labeled, and filed away. If you go home within a few days, you’ll get them back. No promises can be made if you stay in custody for any length of time.

The Strip Search: A New Low

Your clothes come next. Then a search. The strip search. No way to sugar coat it, it sucks. You’re then issued a neon-colored jumpsuit or loose khaki pants and a shirt once worn by a sumo champ. No matter what style of clothing the jail uses, the one guarantee is that it won’t fit.

Holding Tanks and Overcrowding

Off to the holding tanks. Small rooms that will always be [over] filled with other arrestees on weekends and holidays. Bars or solid metal door with head high slit, some will have a half-glass wall. All will have a toilet in the corner. You will be stuck there to be shuffled off to an intake interview, medical, then a mental ‘test.’ Finally, hours after your arrest, you are handed a sheet and a blanket, maybe a pillow, and sent off to a dorm or a cell.

The "Stay": Dorms vs. Cells

Neither are ideal. In a dorm, sleeping is next to impossible. There is no room. In a cell, you most likely have a ‘bunkmate,’ the cell is tiny, a toilet is in the corner. The cell door either pops or hisses or creaks. COs (guards) walk the hallways on a regular schedule, you will hear their keys yards away. Sleeping in a cell is no better than in a dorm.

Court Appearance: The Final Stretch

At some point, within a day of being arrested – as long as it’s not on a Friday or over a long weekend – you will have a court appearance. Some are by video; some are in person. Both are nerve-racking.

Being transported to court is a return to the back seat of the police car – only worse. You are cuffed and chained . . . with other people. Moving is hard and hurts. Manacles bite into ankles like cuffs do wrists.

In either scenario, you are finally in front of the judge. The only thing the judge has before them is your name and what you are charged with. That’s it. They will decide if you get bond and name a number. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss what the number is, they go fast, very fast, as befits an assembly line.

The Overarching Truth: Don't Face This Alone

Getting arrested and processed and shipped off to court is hard to describe in the same way it’s hard to describe a concussion. It’s about being numb and confused.

One thing about being arrested that should always be kept in mind – it’s not an experience anyone should ever undergo while trying to make any kind of decision. Except one: call an attorney as soon as possible.

At Knauss Law, we know the system inside and out. Our team of former prosecutors fights tirelessly for our clients, providing the expertise you need to navigate this process.