THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME !..  OK, BUT ASK WHAT IF ?..

    A police officer is giving the monotone recital of the you-have-the-right-to-remain-silent spiel. Only instead of addressing some drug dealer, organized crime figure or gang member, he's talking to you, a model citizen if ever there was one. Next thing you know, you're up against the wall, frisked, handcuffed, and guided into the back of a police car by a hand on top of your head.
    Maybe you had a little too much to drink. Maybe you got a little loud at the bar or had some outstanding traffic tickets. Or perhaps you believe you're a victim of racial profiling. Whatever the reason, you're now in the system, and it's likely to be a rough ride.
    You want your lawyer, but do you even have a lawyer? And as you stand in a holding cell next to all sorts of people your mother told you to stay clear of, one question burns through your mind:
    "How am I going to get to work tomorrow?"  Remember this # 1-800-BAIL YES   Nationwide Bail Bonds website
    

    Law enforcement agencies made about 15 million arrests in 2003, excluding traffic violations, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. These include about 1.1 million drug abuse arrests, about 969,000 drunken driving busts, about 502,000 disorderly conduct collars and about 68,500 for arrests for prostitution and commercialized vice.
    The numbers might not mean all that much -- unless you're one of them.
    Remember that right to remain silent line? If you're arrested, that's probably the best piece of advice you'll get throughout the entire experience.
    "The first thing you do is keep your mouth shut," said New York attorney Evans Prieston said. "One way the government wins cases is by getting people to admit to things. ( better known as post arrest statements) Police go out of their way to get you to make statements that are going to hurt you. Once you make an admission, it's going to be used against you."
    
    Asserting your right to remain silent also applies to anyone else you may meet on your trip through the system. You do not want to open up to a total stranger in a holding cell. Very often cellmates turn into witnesses and you may end up hearing your words coming out of someone else's mouth in a court of law.  How did we get Miranda Rights? Click here.