Shortly after the first phones were installed in police stations, a handcuffed suspect sitting in central booking asked if she could call her lawyer. Since then, the right to make a single phone call has been more lore than law until state legislatures began to codify it. Earlier this year, New York joined those states by amending the Criminal Procedure Law to expressly require that arrestees have the right to make a phone call.
While this new mandate is a major step forward, it does not address a technological reality that for most people landlines have given way to mobile phones. Today, cellular devices have become lifelines, and this is particularly important for suspects who need to consult with counsel or seek assistance from family and friends at a crucial time.
