Arrest warrant - sustany/dvg GitHub Wiki

An�arrest�warrant�is a document issued by a�judge�or�magistrate�that authorizes the police to take someone accused of a crime into�custody. An arrest�warrant�is issued by the competent authority upon a showing of�probable cause, which means a warrant may be issued if a�reasonable person�would believe the information at hand is sufficient to suggest criminal activities.

Arrest warrants serve the purpose of protecting people from�unlawful�arrests under the�Fourth Amendment. The warrant also gives an�actual notice�to the person or persons being�arrested�about the�charges�pressed against them.

An arrest warrant is preferred, but not required, to make a lawful arrest.

In City of Saint Paul v. Adolph Toblera, the Supreme Court of Minnesota defined an arrest warrant as �a judicial process by which, in the name of the state, a defendant is brought before the court to answer a criminal charge made against him.�

In Bienenstock v. McCoy et. al., the Supreme Court of New York stated that an arrest warrant��is a judicial order or command, in writing, in the name of the people, signed by an authorized judicial officer commanding the arrest of the defendant named for the crime charged therein.�