The summer in Stamford Connecticut is coming to a close, and with this comes the conclusion of the Stamford Alive at Five concert series. As always, the concerts and block parties have been a blast—well-organized and a real bright spot for our city. Thousands of concertgoers, teenagers, and area residents converge upon downtown Stamford to attend the concerts, dine out, and have a few cocktails. And with the large crowds always comes a few arrests at Alive at Five in Stamford Connecticut for Breach of Peace, Disorderly Conduct and Interference with a Police Officer. The last concert this past week was no different, ending with only about 10 arrests for a concert that had at least 10,000 attendees.
So what do you do if you are arrested at the Alive at Five Concert in Stamford Connecticut? Do you have to tell your parents? Can you get your Stamford Connecticut Alive at Five arrest for Disorderly Conduct dismissed quickly? Good chance you can—keep reading to learn more.
The best way to not get arrested at Alive at Five in Stamford is to put yourself in the shoes of the Stamford Police Department. There are approximately 25 on-duty police officers trying to keep the peace and protect 8000-10,000 concertgoers. Trust us—they DON’T WANT to arrest you at Live at Five. Every arrest is publicized and the Stamford Police and City of Stamford do not want dozens of arrests being put in the paper after every concert. It makes the city look bad. The police working the event also do not want to deal with the paperwork and the headaches of writing up your arrest and having to bring you down to the station to book, fingerprint and photograph you. Most of the time, they will give you the benefit of the doubt and give you a warning. So if they approach you and ask you to step out of a bar, or calm down, then you should realize they do not want to hear any pushback, attitude or be asked for their full name and badge number.
Top Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers would all agree that asking a police officer to identify themselves, or asking an officer why you are being singled out, is NOT a crime. What people fail to appreciate, however, is that the police have wide discretion and sovereign immunity to arrest you, even if a crime was not technically committed. Top Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut criminal lawyers frequently see arrests in downtown Stamford for Interference with a Police Officer / Resisting Arrest under CGS 53a-167a. This is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in prison. And all that is required for you to be arrested in Stamford Connecticut for Interference with a Police Officer is a good faith belief by the arresting officer that you are “obstructing, hindering or endangering” a police officer in the performance of his or her duties. (Follow this link to learn more about Connecticut arrests for 53a-167a Interference with a Police Officer). So, as any top Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyer would tell you, try to cooperate with a police officer’s requests, lay low, and let the police officers move on to their next problem.
For the past few years, the folks at Stamford’s Live at Five created the “Drunk Tank” for partygoers who had too much to drink and are accused of being disruptive. This is yet another example of how the Stamford Police are trying to make a concerted effort to NOT arrest you. Here’s how it works: if the police have a good faith belief that you are too intoxicated and are posing a risk of harm to yourself or others, they will detain you and escort you to the “drunk tank” tent where your parents, spouse, or family members can come claim you and you can get a safe ride home. You are not arrested while you’re in the drunk tank. But you are not free to leave either. Instead, the police give you a very reasonable choice—either agree to call a safe ride home and go home, or they will arrest you. Most people choose the ride home. What top Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers regularly advise their clients is to stay calm in the drunk tank, and be respectful to the officers, even though you may not feel it was fair that you were singled out and thrown in the drunk tank. Let your top Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyer follow up the next day with the police if you were abused or roughed up by the police. There will be paperwork documenting your detention in the drunk tank, so trying to make sense of it all while you’re in the drunk tank—especially if you are in fact intoxicated—is not productive.
Finally, if you are arrested at Alive at Five in Stamford for Breach of Peace, Disorderly Conduct or Interference with a Police Officer, then you need to be smart about what to do next. Once a police officer in Stamford decides to arrest you in Stamford for Breach of Peace in the Second Degree under CGS 53a-181 (click here for more info on these Connecticut Breach of Peace in Second Degree arrests), or if they arrest you in Stamford at Alive at Five for Disorderly Conduct under CGS 53a-182 (follow this link for more on fighting Connecticut Disorderly Conduct arrests), you must be proactive. You need to contact a top Connecticut criminal lawyer attorney immediately to make sure (1) that you are bonded out of jail quickly, (2) that you don’t make any statements that can jeopardize your case (also known as “not saying anything stupid” that can get the charges raised against you), and (3) that you have everything in place to get your Stamford Connecticut Alive at Five arrest for Interference with Police / Disorderly Conduct dismissed as quickly as possible. Remember, try to stay calm and respectful, even if you are seething about the unfairness of your arrest, or how rough the police have physically handled you.
The team of Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers at Mark Sherman Law have been helping their clients out of Stamford Alive at Five arrests and jams since the festival’s inception. We will work quickly with you and your family to get your Stamford Connecticut Disorderly Conduct and Breach of Peace arrest dismissed. One bad night should not haunt your professional life forever, especially if you are a teenager who was arrested in Stamford during the Alive at Five concert series. So call a Stamford criminal lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today to try and get your Alive at Five Stamford arrest dismissed. We are available 24/7 at (203) 358-4700.
