Arrest Warrant

If you’re like most people, you probably do your best to abide by the numerous laws in your area—whether it’s driving the speed limit, showing up for jury duty, or avoiding any other type of illegal activity. Yet despite all these efforts, it is possible to slip up at times. Unfortunately, making one simple mistake can quickly put you on the wrong side of the law, and you may find yourself facing criminal charges as a result. Depending on the charges against you, the court may even issue an arrest warrant allowing law enforcement to detain you.

As you can probably guess, having a warrant issued for your arrest is a very serious legal matter. Once this document has been authorized by a judge, it allows law enforcement to arrest you immediately once you are located—regardless of where you are at the time. This means you can be arrested in any public place or even a private residence.

There are numerous reasons a warrant can be issued for your arrest. If you don’t show up for a scheduled court date, for example, or the police suspect you of committing a crime, a judge may authorize your arrest. However, there must be sufficient evidence against you before an arrest warrant can be issued.

Of course, not all cases require arrest warrants. If a police officer has probable cause to believe you committed a crime, for instance, he or she can make an arrest without a warrant. Likewise, if you are caught in the act of a crime, or with contraband (such as drugs or illegal firearms) in plain view, you may be arrested without a warrant.

If an officer has a warrant for your arrest, the law requires him or her to inform you of this at the time of your arrest. In addition, the officer must show you the physical document when he or she places you under arrest, or shortly after you are detained. In cases where a warrant was not issued, the officer must provide a valid reason for making an arrest.

In addition to authorizing your arrest, an arrest warrant also allows the police to conduct a search when you are found. While the officer may be permitted to search you and the area around you, it is important to remember that he or she must comply with federal search and seizure laws.

Fortunately, being arrested for a crime does not always mean you are guilty of the offense, or that you will be convicted of it. In some cases, the officer who arrested you may have violated your constitutional rights—such as performing an illegal search, for example. As a result, your arrest may be unjustified, which means the charges against you should be dismissed. And, even if there was an outstanding warrant for your arrest, if the state cannot prove there was sufficient evidence for its issuance, your case could be thrown out in court.

States/Abbreviations
AK	Alaska	LA	Louisiana	OH	Ohio
AL	Alabama	MA	Massachusetts	OK	Oklahoma
AR	Arkansas	MD	Maryland	OR	Oregon
AZ	Arizona	ME	Maine	PA	Pennsylvania
CA	California	MI	Michigan	RI	Rhode Island
CO	Colorado	MN	Minnesota	SC	South Carolina
CT	Connecticut	MO	Missouri	SD	South Dakota
DE	Delaware	MS	Mississippi	TN	Tennessee
FL	Florida	MT	Montana	TX	Texas
GA	Georgia	NC	North Carolina	UT	Utah
HI	Hawaii	ND	North Dakota	VT	Vermont
IA	Iowa	NE	Nebraska	VA	Virginia
ID	Idaho	NH	New Hampshire	WA	Washington State
IL	Illinois	NJ	New Jersey	WI	Wisconsin
IN	Indiana	NM	New Mexico	WV	West Virginia
KS	Kansas	NV	Nevada	WY	Wyoming
KY	Kentucky	NY	New York	DC	Washington DC