If you are being questioned by the police, you definitely need a criminal defense attorney. This is true even if you have not officially been charged with a crime. The police may tell you that you are a “person of interest” in their investigation. While this term sounds fairly benign, giving you the impression that they believe you might be a witness, this does not mean you should answer their questions.
Remember, police officers are allowed to lie to and trick suspects. They are taught the skills necessary to do this and routinely employ these tactics. Regardless of how “friendly” the officer seems, remind yourself that he or she will stop being friendly the moment you provide the information needed to build a case.
So, assume that you fully understand you should never speak to the police without an attorney, and you tell the officer politely that you will not answer questions without a lawyer present. The officer leaves, and you realize that you do not have a single clue as to what you should do next. Most of us do not have an attorney on speed dial and may never have even considered who we would call in the event we needed an attorney.