Arrest warrant how does it work

There is no wonder that anyone who is the subject of a police investigation always wants to know how long it will take for an arrest warrant to be issued. It is incredibly stressful to be living while you are waiting for an impending arrest warrant not knowing if, or when it will come. The hard thing about arrest warrants is that the time frame for the processing can vary greatly from case to case. There are many variables that dictate how long arrest warrants can take to process.

Police officers work strange shifts and often tracking down leads can take a lot of time when they are working on a night shift. When cases are complex and require accident reconstruction or extensive investigation the processing of an arrest warrant can take several months. The longest delays occur for those cases that require chemical testing from the State crime lab or the forensic lab.

There is no black and white answer to this question. It really comes down to a case by case basis. In Connecticut the only arrest warrants that you can look up online are those for re-arrests. All other arrest warrants are not available online. You can request information from the investigation officer or desk sergeant but in some instances they will refuse to share the details with you. Some police departments have adopted a policy that they do not disclose arrest warrant information over the phone and will require you to personally show up at the police station to obtain information about your warrant where they will likely place you in custody and attempt to interrogate you.

Sometimes, a Stamford criminal lawyer can obtain this information on your behalf. If you think you have an arrest warrant pending against you should contact our office as soon as possible so that we can coordinate a bail bond and make arrangements to turn yourself in.

As I pointed out in the proceeding section the Connecticut Judicial Branch has an online lookup for some active arrest warrants. However, those are only for re-arrests and violation of probation warrants. New arrest warrants are not listed on any public website. If you suspect that you may have an outstanding arrest warrant your best course of action would be to contact an Stamford criminal lawyer to work on your behalf to obtain information about your charges and bond and help to coordinate your surrender and assist you with making bond.

Often the arresting officer will work with your Connecticut criminal lawyer to arrange a convenient time and date to turn yourself in, However, remember that the warrant remains active and the police can and often will take you into custody if they find you in a traffic stop. Also, some police departments immediately go out looking for people when a warrant is issued and go to try and find them at their home and place of work right away.

That is why its always best to get ahead of the process, retain a lawyer and turn yourself in before they find you. This was you can have your bond ready and make the process go as quickly as possible as you are promptly released. As soon as you suspect that you may have a warrant pending against you your first call should be to our office to start putting a plan into action to make the process as pain free as possible.

When an arrest warrant is issued usually the Judge sets the bond when he signs the warrant. However, in some instances the Judge will leave the bond to be set at the time of your actual arrest by the arresting agency.

I guess the thinking is the Judge wants to allow you an opportunity to turn yourself in and see how cooperative you are. In those cases, it makes sense you retain a Connecticut criminal lawyer as quickly as possible to make arrangements to surrender yourself on the warrant and help work out the details for posting bond. Clients who live out of state have more difficulties with Connecticut arrest warrants than clients who reside in Connecticut.

First, since you live out of state, generally the Court is going to set your bond higher than someone who has strong ties to the community. Most arrest warrants are issued after prosecutors charge a suspect with a crime. Arrest warrants typically identify the crime for which a judge has authorized an arrest and might restrict the manner in which an officer can make an arrest. For example, an arrest warrant might state that officers can arrest a suspect "only between the hours of 8 a.

To enter a suspect's home, officers usually must have an arrest warrant and reason to believe that the suspect lives at the home and will be present at the time of their entry. In emergency situations, police officers can enter a residence to arrest an occupant without a warrant. Examples of emergencies include chasing a fleeing suspect into a residence in "hot pursuit" or entering a home based on a reasonable belief that a person is in danger.

An arrest warrant authorizes officers to take a defendant into police custody. A search warrant authorizes police officers to search for specific objects or materials at a defined location.

A search warrant specifies exactly when and where police officers can search and what they may search for. For example, a search warrant for the home of a suspected drug trafficker might authorize officers to search "the premises at Queens Court between the hours of 8 a. In some situations, an officer might need to make an arrest before obtaining a warrant. The circumstances that guide this decision often rest on the severity of the offense involved.

When officers have probable cause to believe a felony has been committed, they can legally arrest a suspect in public without a warrant. Because misdemeanors are less serious than felonies, the general rule is that an officer can only make a warrantless misdemeanor arrest when a suspect commits the crime in the officer's presence.

Exceptions to this rule exist in some states for particularly dangerous misdemeanors, like driving under the influence and domestic violence. Judicial review. When a person is arrested without a warrant and taken to jail, a judge must promptly usually within 24 to 48 hours review whether probable cause existed for the arrest. Officers submit a sworn statement with a summary of the facts supporting their probable cause determination to the judge. If the judge decides that there wasn't probable cause for the arrest, the suspect is released from jail.

Police officers are generally allowed to use "reasonable force" to arrest a suspect. The question of whether the amount of force used in a particular case was reasonable or excessive is intensely fact-specific.

Courts generally balance the need for force and the amount of force used during an arrest. By Sara J. An arrest warrant is an official document, signed by a judge or magistrate , which authorizes a police officer to arrest the person or people named in the warrant. Warrants typically identify the crime for which an arrest has been authorized, and may restrict the manner in which an arrest may be made.

For example, a warrant may state that a suspect can be arrested "only between the hours of 6 a. If the warrant is for a previous failure of the suspect to appear in court—called a bench warrant —it will probably specify that the arrested person may not be released on bail at all sometimes termed a "no-bail warrant".

To obtain a warrant, a police officer typically submits a written affidavit to a judge or magistrate. The affidavit, given under oath, must recite sufficient factual information to establish probable cause that a crime was committed and that the person named in the warrant committed it. A description so broad that it could apply to hundreds of people will not suffice.

For instance, a judge will not issue a warrant to arrest "Rich Johnson" based on an affidavit that "a liquor store was held up by a bald, potbellied man of medium height, and Rich Johnson matches that description.

On the other hand, probable cause to arrest Rich Johnson probably would be adequate if the affidavit included the factual information that "the liquor store clerk and three witnesses identified a photo of Rich Johnson as the person who held up the liquor store.

Sometimes, arrest warrants contain factual mistakes. For example, the suspect's name may be misspelled or the wrong crime may be specified. What are you looking for? Types of criminal warrants Types of criminal warrants There are generally three types of criminal arrest warrants: Bench warrants. Bench warrants are issued for individuals who fail to appear in court for a hearing, violate their pre-trial release supervision conditions Project Remand , or do not follow a directive of the court.

Complaint warrants. Offense levels Offense levels Most criminal warrants have an offense level. Gross misdemeanor : "Gross misdemeanor" means any crime which is not a felony or misdemeanor.