The moment police arrest you and take you into custody, they’re required to read you your Miranda rights. You’ve probably heard them in movies: the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present during questioning, and — this is the one people often don’t know — the right to a government-appointed attorney if you can’t afford one. That last part means you don’t need money to get a lawyer. If you can’t pay, the government has to provide one.
Here’s the part that really matters: invoking that right — asking for a lawyer — cannot legally be treated as evidence that you did something wrong. Wanting a lawyer before you speak to police is not an admission of guilt. It’s just you using a right that exists specifically to protect you.
Once you clearly and unambiguously ask for a lawyer, questioning is supposed to stop until your attorney is present. So if you’re ever in that situation, the clearest move is to say out loud, directly and affirmatively: “I want a lawyer.” Don’t hint at it or ask it as a question. Say it plainly and clearly — courts have held that ambiguous or indirect requests may not be enough to trigger the protection.
There’s an important catch worth knowing. Courts have narrowed Miranda rights over time — if police question you before you’re formally taken into custody, Miranda rules don’t automatically apply. And in some situations, staying silent before you’re in custody can actually be interpreted as implicit guilt. So the protection is strongest once you’ve been arrested and are in custody.
Note that legal rights can vary somewhat by state and by the specific facts of a situation, so what applies in one case may differ in another. The information here reflects general federal constitutional principles.
Bottom line: if you’re in custody and police want to question you, ask for a lawyer. Say it clearly. Then stop talking until your attorney arrives. That’s not suspicious. That’s exactly what the right is there for.