Whenever there is a self-defense action that involves violence, the police may be called. Most of the time, the only information they have when they arrive is that two people are fighting, and there may be a weapon involved. The police will arrive stressed, with the adrenalin pumping and will not have a clue to what is going on or what happened.  

When they arrive all they see are two people fighting, or if things go well, they will see you standing near a battered body. Their first assumption will be that you are the attacker. 

Here are a few tips that may help to defuse the situation quickly. 

• If a weapon is involved, place the weapon on the ground and step back when the police arrive. Only do this if you are sure that your attacker is down and that he has no friends around. Keep the weapon in your hands until the police pull up to the scene. CAUTION: When placing the weapon on the ground, be sure that the attacker can not get to it. If possible, place your body between the weapon and the attacker.
   

• After placing the weapon on the ground, or if there are no weapons involved, stand straight facing the officers with your empty, palms pointed towards them and arms outstretched to your side. This shows them that you have no weapons in your hands, this will immediately help them relax some.
   

• Once the officers get out of the vehicle, IMMEDIATELY identify yourself as the victim of the attack. If you are successful in defending an attack, your attacker may be laying on the ground bloody and unconscious. This will not look good to the officers. They may still cuff you and be cautious of your story until they hear other witnesses. This is not against, but criminals lie! The officers are trying to make it home too!
   

• Listen to the officers orders. If they ask you to shut up, shut up! They will get to you. If they ask you to stand or sit in a certain place, do so. If they cuff you, cooperate. You have to give them the time to sort out the situation and secure the area. Remember, an officer has the right to frisk you for theirs, and the publics safety in these situations…cooperate! The last thing you want in court, if it goes that far, is for the arresting officers to be against you.
   

• When the officers ask you for your story, tell them calmly, clearly and give definitive replies. Take a deep breathe and calm yourself before speaking. Assault charges can be serious and you must provide detailed information in order to prove that you acted in self-defense.
   

• Shut up about martial arts or self defense training. When telling the officers what happened, do not mention that you are a trained fighter. It is none of their business and can look bad for you in court. If there is extensive damage done to an attacker, the judge can determine that as a trained fighter, you should have had more control and that you used excessive force.
  
  For example, if you got attacked, you blocked the strike, jabbed the attacker in the eye, did a hip toss and slammed his head into the asphalt and then break his elbow from the arm lock, this could look pretty bad for you if you tell them, “Yeah, I am a 9^th Black Belt in hung ya hoo ya kung fu”…Simply tell the officer “They guy tried to hit me, I blocked it then we began wrestling around and I tripped him”…Enough said, no lies and you are in a better position if you have to go to court.
   

• Do not use profanity, vulgarity or racial words to describe the fight. Again, you must be calm and present a very controlled demeanor.
   

•  If the officers decide to arrest you…DO NOT FIGHT IT! If you are in the right, the chances are the prosecutor will not file charges. Fighting the arrest will only lead to “resisting charges” against you. The officers are only doing their jobs. They are not perfect and will occasionally make a misjudgment.
   

• Know your rights. If you are arrested, make sure you know your rights. You have the right to say NOTHING! You have the right to an attorney and I strongly advise that if you are arrested for defending yourself, that you shut up and speak to an attorney before commenting on anything. Every area has their own self-defense statutes and an attorney can fill you in on the details.

If you follow these tips in any self-defense situation, you should be fine. Just keep in mind that the officers will be “hyped-up” when they arrive. Do all that you can to help calm and secure the situation. You must also remember that the police are human too and will make mistakes. Do not fight them. Things will only get worse if you do.