Search warrants and raids
If police or agents arrive with a search warrant, do not resist and do not answer questions about the case. Ask to see the warrant, say you want a lawyer, and call one as soon as you can. What you say during a search can matter more than what they take.
During the search
- Stay calm. Do not physically resist, block a door, or touch an officer.
- Ask to see the warrant. Read what place it covers and what it says may be taken.
- Say: "I want to remain silent. I want a lawyer." Then do not answer questions about the case. If you are in custody, questioning must stop once you say you want a lawyer [1].
- Do not agree to a search of anything beyond what the warrant names, such as a car, another room or another building. Say plainly, "I do not consent to any other search."
- Do not unlock your phone or give a passcode. Police generally need a warrant to search the data on a phone seized in an arrest [2].
- Do not hide, move or destroy anything, and do not ask anyone else to.
- Call a criminal defense lawyer as soon as you are able.
The Fourth Amendment protects your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and a warrant may issue only on probable cause supported by oath or affirmation [3]. Whether this search was lawful is a question for your lawyer later. Do not argue it at the door.
Right after the search
- Write down everything you remember while it is fresh: the time, the agencies, how many officers, what rooms they searched, and what they said.
- Keep any paperwork they left, such as a copy of the warrant or a list of what was taken.
- Write down the names of anyone else who was present.
- Do not discuss the search with coworkers, family or friends beyond what is necessary, and do not post about it.
- Do not contact anyone you think is connected to the investigation.
Give everything to your lawyer. A search is often the first visible step in a larger investigation, and it may be followed by a subpoena, a target letter or interview requests.
A business search
If agents search a business, employees may be approached for interviews on the spot. No one can be compelled to be a witness against himself in a criminal case [4], and each person can ask to speak to a lawyer before answering anything. Do not tell anyone what to say, and do not tell anyone to lie. Call the company's lawyer, and a criminal defense lawyer, right away.
If no one has a warrant
If police or agents knock without a warrant, the situation is different. Read agents at the door. If you are stopped on the street or in a car, read illegal stops and searches.
If charges follow, see What happens next and the court pages for New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania and federal court.
Common questions
Should I tell my employees to talk to the agents?
Tell them they may speak to a lawyer before answering questions, and that the choice is theirs. Do not tell anyone to lie, hide anything or refuse in a way that interferes with the search.
Can I film the search?
Ask a lawyer before you do anything that could be seen as interfering. Afterward, write down what you saw while you still remember it, and give the notes to your lawyer.
Sources
- Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- Riley v. California, 573 U.S. 373 (2014). Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- U.S. Const. amend. IV. Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- U.S. Const. amend. V. Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
Arrested, or think you might be? Call before you answer any questions.
Call and tell us who was arrested or contacted and where the case is. A lawyer will tell you what happens next and what to do tonight. Please do not type what happened into a form or an email. We will talk about it on the phone.