A 1981 U.S. Supreme Court decision requires law enforcement officers to stop questioning a suspect the moment he or she asks for an attorney, several legal experts said. The concept has become part of popular culture, with television police dramas often showing scenes in which detectives stop questioning suspects the moment they “lawyer up.”

“This isn’t particularly complicated. I think most police agents know that when someone wants a lawyer, you cease all interrogation,” said Washington lawyer Aitan Goelman, a former federal prosecutor who now represents white-collar defendants.

A suspect could change his mind and waive the right to an attorney, provided there’s no prodding by an officer, Goelman said.

Defense attorneys said they were troubled that a veteran homicide detective would ignore a basic legal principle.

“I think the leadership of the police department tries to divorce itself from what is going on in interrogation rooms,” said Joseph M. Niland, the chief public defender in Prince George’s. “If the leadership cracked down on this, it would be stopped.”

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