WHEN ARE YOU ARRESTED WITH A WARRANT??

A police officer may arrest you at any time if he or she has a warrant for your arrest, or if the officer knows that a warrant for your arrest has been issued.

A warrant is an order issued by a court charging that you committed a particular crime and directing the sheriff and all police officers of the state to arrest you and bring you before the court. You may require the officer to read the warrant after you have been arrested.

An arrest warrant should not be confused with a search warrant.

WHEN ARE YOU ARRESTED WITHOUT A WARRANT?

In Florida, a police officer may make an arrest without a warrant under a variety of circumstances. Among those circumstances are:

1) when the officer knows that a warrant for your arrest has been issued and is still in effect even though the warrant may be held by another police officer;

2) when the arresting officer has good reason to believe that a felony has been or is being committed and that you are the person who has committed or is committing the felony.

A felony is a crime which is punishable by death or by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term of years. Examples of felonies include the more serious crimes such as murder, sexual battery, robbery, burglary, sale of narcotics, as well as grand larceny, keeping a gambling house and many others;

3) when a misdemeanor is committed in the presence of the officer.

Under Florida law, there are a few specified misdemeanors for which an arrest may be made without a warrant, even when not committed in the presence of the arresting officer. These exceptions to the general rule are shoplifting, carrying a concealed weapon other than a firearm, possession of not more than twenty grams of marijuana and a few others.