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Arrest-Proof Yourself (2d ed., 2014) by Dale C. Carson and Wes Denham, is a fascinating look at the world of police officers, their methods, and their motivations when questioning and arresting suspects. Dale Carson, currently a criminal defense attorney, was an FBI field agent and instructor, a SWAT sniper, and a Miami police officer who set records for felony arrests in Florida. Wes Denham is the author of Arrested: What to Do When Your Love One's in Jail.

This is a must-read book for anyone who lives in (or visits) the USA (note that this is not a "how-to" book for career criminals who want to beat the system). The authors tell us why today, more than ever before, you must seek to avoid getting arrested; e.g., an arrest permanently places you on the "electronic plantation" (the lifetime restriction on jobs and other opportunities caused by an arrest), and many employers absolutely refuse to hire anyone who has been arrested for any reason. Carson and Denham also devote a section to guns, knives, and self-defense, with specific advice on the types of guns and ammunition most suitable for typical citizens.

Among the things you will learn from this book are:
• why you're more likely to get arrested today than in the past
• how modern technology has caused a boom in the number of arrests
• how you could get arrested for possession of your children's prescription drugs
• why an arrest record is permanent, even if it is "expunged" or "sealed"
• how to avoid cops and minimize their opportunities to arrest you and your family members

The authors repeatedly advise you to avoid confrontations with police, and tell you how to do it. However, you still might be questioned by the police, so they give you the following essential advice:
• the best way to address police officers
• the "magic words" to use when an officer tells you he want to speak with you
• respectful ways to respond to questions, or to refuse answering them
• how to behave when cops question you (e.g., don't smile; cops don't like smiles!)
• what to do when cops use legal or illegal inciters (e.g., racial slurs) to provoke you into an arrestable offense
• what to do (and what not to do) with your hands when an officer is questioning you
• why you should answer routine questions, even though refusing to talk to the police is not a crime
• how you can interrupt an interrogation while being helpful, polite, and respectful
• which credentials you should carry with you to reduce your chances of getting arrested
• how to find a criminal attorney (at little or no cost) before you need one
• what a Notice to Appear (aka Penal Citation) is, and why you should not hesitate to sign one
• what to say when police give you your Miranda rights

There are also chapters specifically related to driving a car, which offer the following information:
• how to avoid getting stopped when you are driving
• behaviors that stimulate cops to stop you even when you haven't committed an obvious traffic violation
• what to do during a routine traffic stop (e.g., place you hands in plain view on the steering wheel!)
• why you should always sign a traffic ticket
• how to respond to "famous Cop Trick Questions" to prevent your car from being searched
• why radar detectors are of little value
• why you should never lend your car to anyone who is not named on your insurance policy
• how to search your own car after passengers have been in it
• how to arrest-proof a car for teenaged drivers

Of course, useful information in itself is not enough to produce a good nonfiction book, but this book has the necessary co-factors: it is well organized, the writing is clear and concise, and the authors don't try to impress us with how much they know about the subject; they focus on what the readers need to know.

I might get this for my husband... he is always managing to get tickets! *sigh*

This sounds like a very informative book! I'm especially curious about being arrested for possessing one's child's medication. I recently ran into an issue related to this--long story short, I couldn't pick up my son's allergy medicine from the pharmacy because he wasn't physically with me and I had no paperwork proving that he was my son (and he's only ten years old). I'm curious about the laws that put me in that predicament.

The example in the book is one where loose pills are somewhere in your car (e.g., on the floor or the seats), and your car is searched.

Kappy wrote:The example in the book is one where loose pills are somewhere in your car (e.g., on the floor or the seats), and your car is searched.

Note to self: Do not give my son his medicine in the car!!!

@Kappy
If this book isn't satire I can only presume it is geared towards that very peculiar country the USA
I enjoyed reading your review & both I and my OH (who happens to be a police officer) found it highly entertaining.

It is not satire. I believe that we have far too many laws, and that police officers have far too much power, but my opinion counts for nothing. The vast of majority of the voters care nothing for the U.S. constitution. I don't like the situation, but I would be a fool if I did not acknowledge the vast powers of the police.

It is my understanding that this book is a best seller in prisons around the world.

DATo wrote:It is my understanding that this book is a best seller in prisons around the world.

I'd say it's up there with Lockpicking for Dummies

Fran wrote:

DATo wrote:It is my understanding that this book is a best seller in prisons around the world.

I'd say it's up there with Lockpicking for Dummies :roll:

*LOL* What would we ever do without our 'Dummy' books? I've read so many Dummy books that I have earned a Ph.D. in Gross Stupidity. *LOL*

Wow, that's a good review, and it also seems like a useful book. I've never been arrested as an adult, but it's depressing to think about anyone's getting arrested without there being a good reason for it. Fortunately for me, my dad's a practicing lawyer. Even though he does employment law, if I needed a different kind of lawyer, he'd know someone. So I hopefully don't need this book. The most depressing part of this review is the part about how an arrest can ruin your future. I think employers should do more of a case-by-case in hiring.

On the other hand, here in Louisville, our cops are sound asleep. Everyone in my neighborhood and my entire city drives like a lunatic. They all run stop signs, they go 20 over the speed limit, and they zoom through red lights. I've written to the cops, and other people have written to the local paper, but nothing. No response, no change. So I guess there needs to be a balance. Of course, I wouldn't arrest those people. I'd just give them a ticket or send them to traffic school, or whatever. Anyway.

zeldas_lullaby wrote: ... Fortunately for me, my dad's a practicing lawyer. Even though he does employment law, if I needed a different kind of lawyer, he'd know someone. So I hopefully don't need this book....

Thanks for the kind words. A lawyer will help you greatly after an arrest, but the main objective of the book is to help you prevent getting arrested, because the record of your arrest will follow you around for life.

Kappy wrote: Thanks for the kind words. A lawyer will help you greatly after an arrest, but the main objective of the book is to help you prevent getting arrested, because the record of your arrest will follow you around for life.

Food for thought, for sure.