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June 15, 2020

ABA releases updated guide to pre-trial criminal procedure for police, prosecutors and defenders

CHICAGO, June 15, 2020 — Just published by the American Bar Association, “Street Legal: A Guide to Pre-trial Criminal Procedure for Police, Prosecutors, and Defenders, Second Edition” is a must-read for police investigators, defense attorneys and prosecutors and any lawyer who needs a quick reference and reliable answer to a pre-trial criminal procedure question.

Author Ken Wallentine, a former prosecutor, investigator and police chief, explains criminal procedure basics and nuances using practical, straightforward language. He explains in understandable terms “what you can do and what you can’t do” under 4th Amendment search and seizure law. From traffic checkpoints and forceful felony arrest, from Miranda warnings to inmate and cell searches, in addition to search warrants, electronic surveillance and use of canine search and seizure, it’s all covered in this concise reference. Citations are included so that readers may find and read entire cases for more information.

This practical guidebook also features:

  • A Quick Checklist for Search Warrant Affidávit
  • Homicide and Violent Assault First Responders Checklist
  • In-Custody Death Checklist
  • Affiant Training and Experience Resumé Guide
  • Flow charts guiding analysis of searches and interrogations

Wallentine is the chief of police in West Jordan, Utah, and is the former chief of law enforcement for the Utah attorney general. He also serves as a use-of-force consultant and expert witness in state and federal criminal and civil litigation in many courts across the nation.

Title:                   Street Legal: A Guide to Pre-trial Criminal Procedure for Police, Prosecutors, and Defenders, Second Edition
Publisher:           ABA Book Publishing
Pages:                183
Product Code:    5090173
ISBN:                  9781641056984
Size:                   8.5 x 11, Paperback
Price:                  $109.95
Orders:               800-285-2221 or shopaba.org

Author interviews and review copies of this book are available by emailing Francine Bennett at [email protected]. If you publish a review of this book, please send tear sheets or a copy for our files to Francine Bennett, ABA Book Publishing, 1050 Connecticut Ave N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036.

What others are saying about the book:

“The most practical and comprehensive treatise on criminal procedure for the police officer ever published. . . . An indispensable inclusion to the library of every prosecutor and defense lawyer.”
— Loni Deland, criminal defense attorney

Street Legal is a must-read for police investigators with criminal procedure questions, defense attorneys and prosecutors, and any lawyer who needs a quick reference and reliable answer to a pre-trial criminal procedure question. Law students and street cops will particularly appreciate the plain language.”
—  David Quealy, Municipal Attorney attorney

“I have been defending civil rights cases against law enforcement officers for more than 22 years, and Ken Wallentine’s book is still my go-to reference. It covers the most basic to the most peculiar issues and addresses them in common-sense, easily understood language and concepts.”
—  Heather White, trial lawyer

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews