If you are arrested, do you have to use the station phone for your one phone call?

The one phone call rule is purely a Hollywood invention.

From a former District Attorney’s Q & A about arrests:

“Q: Am I really restricted to one phone call once I am in jail?”

“A: The one phone call is another one of the urban myths. You may or may not be permitted to use the phone. Generally, out of courtesy they will allow you to make one phone call. Often there are phones in the jail and people can make as many phone calls as they want as long as there is somebody to accept collect charges.”

depending on the type of arrest, you have to use the payphone type phones, and you have to call collect. if you are callling a cell phone, you are most likely fucked.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities got it. I’m pretty sure all discussions are recorded however, so careful what you go into :)

@trailsillustrated, why is that?

because most cells don’t take collect calls- it’s a recording that asks the person your calling to accept- I think nowadays you can buy a phone card type thing from the commisary to make calls