Kaysia Earley, Esq., is one of South Florida’s top AV Preeminent® rated Criminal Defense attorneys, based on her legal expertise in the law. Also known as the “TRAPS Attorney”, she is the creator of T.R.A.P.S.: Arrive Alive During a Police Encounter©. T.R.A.P.S. is an acronym for the Constitutional rights of individuals when they encounter law enforcement. “T” stands for Trickery, “R” stands for Respect, “A” stands for Attorney, “P” stands for Permission, and “S” stands for Silence.
“T” Don’t get tricked. During an encounter or interrogation, officers can lie and make false claims. These legal tactics can pressure and terrorize innocent people, especially juveniles, into falsely confessing to crimes they didn’t commit, which ultimately leads to wrongful arrests and convictions.
“R” Be respectful to law enforcement during a police encounter. Officer involved shootings, violence, and tensions are at an all-time high between civilians and officers. Unfortunately, this in turn has bred a culture of people who fear and even despise law enforcement, leading to further instances of Mutal respect goes a long way, however, don’t wait for an officer to be respectful during an encounter. Remain calm and respectful, no matter how the officer interacts with you. Officers are public servants and are obligated to treat every individual with respect. After the encounter, if you feel the officer was disrespectful, go to the district police station and file an Internal Affairs (“I.A.”) complaint to initiate an investigation.
“A” You have the right to a free attorney (Public Defender), ask for one immediately upon an arrest. Say, “I would like to speak to my attorney.” The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a lawyer; however, you must verbally request an attorney to end the interrogation.
“P” Never give permission for officers to search your house, car, or belongings. Say, “I do not consent to this search.” The Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. It limits the power of law enforcement to search for an individual or their property without permission or a warrant. You may believe consenting to a search is harmless, especially if you have nothing to hide. Unfortunately, it may lead to an arrest due to unethical officers illegally placing contraband in your vehicle or mistakenly believing medication or items in your vehicle are illegal.
“S” Silence is Golden. Do not speak to law enforcement without an attorney present. Say, “I wish to remain silent.” Do not sign anything without an attorney present. You do not need to give your side of the ‘story’ to officers, you’ll only talk yourself into an arrest. Your silence will be beneficial for your attorney, if charges are formally filed, to zealously represent you during trial.
Kaysia created physical T.R.A.P.S. cards in 2015 while working as an Assistant Public Defender in Broward County’s Juvenile division. She quickly realized out of the 800 juveniles she represented, only a handful were white. The rest of her clients were minorities from underrepresented communities. As she began to investigate her clients’ cases, she discovered most of the time law enforcement abused their powers and most of her clients were racially profiled. Kaysia also realized her clients failed to exercise their Constitutional rights during their police encounter which ultimately led to their arrest or conviction.
Since that time, Kaysia have given away over 30,000 free T.R.A.P.S. cards across the United States. “My goal is to equal the scales of justice. Officers are knowledgeable of the law, which gives them the upper hand when they encounter individuals. I want to give that power back to the people, especially minorities, who are disproportionally pulled over, arrested, and ultimately convicted”, she said. Kaysia was arrested in 2003 during her senior year, while attending Howard University, and has a unique perspective from both sides of the criminal justice system. She was arrested at a shoe store, due to allegations of embezzlement. She admitted to law enforcement, when authorities were called to her job, that she discounted shoes for family members and friends while employed. Her statement was utilized to prosecute her, and she was later sentenced to county jail and probation. Kaysia admits, “I didn’t know my Constitutional rights until I went to law school, and sadly, many people don’t know it either. Invoking your right to remain silent is not about getting away with a crime, it’s about protecting your Civil Rights until you have an attorney knowledgeable of the law to advocate on your behalf.”
Kaysia is a community advocate who educates students at universities, schools, detention centers and community events of the T.R.A.P.S. of the criminal justice system and empowers them to utilize their legal rights. “Unless we exercise our power, there will continue to be an increase in arrests, convictions, and casualties within the minority community. We must be proactive and educate ourselves and others about the law, rather than reacting every time there is a police encounter gone array” she said.
Kaysia is the founder and owner of Earley Law Firm. She has tried over 100 trials to verdict and has secured over 300 dismissals in less than 9 years. To learn more visit www.EarleyLawFirm.com, Instagram ad Facebook: @EarlyLawFirm or call 1-800-714-3413.
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