What is an arrest warrant?

When an officer catches a person “in the act” of committing a crime, the officer arrests the person and takes them to jail. Sometimes, a crime is committed and the officer does not see the person commit the crime or the person is unknown. When this happens, the officer must request an arrest warrant for the individual so that a criminal case can be opened in the court.

For instance, if you come home and find that your house has been broken into, but there is no one there you call the police. The police take fingerprints and gather evidence. If they determine that those fingerprints match an individual, they swear out an affidavit stating they have probable cause to believe that the person committed a burglary to your home. They then give the affidavit to the judge with a request for an arrest warrant. If the judge signs it, the officer can then go out and arrest the person suspected of committing the crime.

Posted in: Violation of Probation