When a person has an active arrest warrant in the state of Connecticut the police have the authority to arrest them and take them to jail. However, authorities do not need a warrant to arrest a person if they witness the person committing a crime.
In many cases, a person can have an active warrant for their arrest and not even be aware of it. All it takes is to get pulled over for a traffic violation and off to jail they go.
With an active arrest warrant police can:
- Arrest a person in their home
- Arrest a person at their job
- Arrest a person at school
- Arrest a person in a store
Police can arrest a person without a warrant if:
- They see the person commit a crime
- The officers ascertain that there is probable cause
- A witness of a crime legally detains a suspect
If you believe that you or somebody that you know has a warrant, we recommend that you do a Connecticut warrant search to know for sure so that you can take action on your own terms.
Active Warrants in Connecticut
Connecticut has one of the lowest crime rates in the United States and is considered to be one of the top four safest places to live in America. This is a good reason to assume that if you have an active arrest warrant in this state it won’t take long for the police to find you.
Once a bench warrant or an arrest warrant is signed into action by a judge, the authorities have permission to arrest you on sight and bring you to jail to be processed for the court system.
Bench warrants and arrest warrants are similar, but a search warrant gives the police to search and seize any property that belongs to the subject named in the warrant. Once a search warrant is signed into action, law enforcement can immediately execute the search.
Types of Warrants in Connecticut
As with most of the other states in the country, there are three basic types of warrants in Connecticut:
- Arrest warrants
- Bench warrants
- Search warrants
A search warrant is a document that allows law enforcement and other agencies to search the property and premises of a named subject in order to obtain solid evidence to substantiate a crime.
Although bench warrants and arrest warrants are the same as search warrants in the way that a judge has to sign them into action, they are much different than search warrants…and different from each other.
Warrant Records Search
Arrest Warrants in Connecticut
If a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person has committed a crime they can go to a judge and request that an arrest warrant is issued against the suspect. In order to ensure that an arrest will not end up being considered illegal the police officers that make the arrest have to make sure that all of the components of the arrest are legitimate and legal.
If the officer can show that there is enough probable cause and the judge agrees that there is sufficient probable cause the arrest warrant will be issued.
- Probable cause
- Case started
- Arrest warrant issued
The way warrants usually work is that an officer will provide the district attorney with evidence that implicates a subject. The district attorney will then assess the situation and press charges against the subject. Once the charges are pressed and the case is active, the district attorney will move to a judge to have an arrest warrant issued.
In most cases, when files are brought against the suspect and the judge grants an arrest warrant there is a rock-solid chance of the case getting heard without problems. Oftentimes, when a police officer goes directly to a judge for the warrant without official charges being filed the suspect can weasel their way out of the situation with a good lawyer.
Bench Warrants in Connecticut
A bench warrant is the type of warrant that the judge signs and issues directly from the bench. The reasons for a judge to issue a bench warrant are typical because the subject of the warrant failed to comply with a court order of some type. Some of the leading causes for the issuance of a bench warrant are:
- Failure to appear in court at a scheduled time
- Failure to pay a fine
- Failure to comply with a sentence
A bench warrant is similar to an arrest warrant in the fact that once it is active an officer can arrest the subject on sight. However, an arrest warrant is issued in the event of a fresh case and a bench warrant is issued due to an active case that is already in progress.
Depending on the severity of the case of the bench warrant, law enforcement officers may, or may not actively and aggressively pursue the subject of the warrant. In any event, when a person is found to have an active bench warrant the odds are very likely they will go to jail until they have been seen in court.
Search Warrants in Connecticut
When a judge issues a search warrant it gives the authorities permission to search the person and the property of the subject in the warrant. Any time a search warrant is put into action there has to be enough probable cause to merit the action, or the evidence that is found can be suppressed from the case.
Search warrants are in place as part of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that helps to protect citizens from unreasonable or illegal searches by overzealous law enforcement officers. The state of Connecticut has its own search and seizure laws that coincide with the federal laws in order to best balance out the difference between invasion of privacy and the need for public safety.
Some of the reasons that justify a search warrant are:
- Suspicion of stolen goods
- Suspicion of possession of materials used to commit crimes
- Suspicion of possession of illegal drugs
- Suspicion of possession of illegal weapons
- Suspicion of possession of child pornography
The judge has to be careful about writing the details of the search, and the area of the search, because crafty defense lawyers will always look for ways to invalidate as much evidence as they can. The less evidence that points to the guilt of the defendant, the weaker the case against them becomes.
Why it is Important to Do Regular Warrant Searches
It is good practice to frequently perform warrant searches on yourself and the people around you. You never know if you or somebody that you care about will suddenly have a warrant show up for an event that happened years ago. If you have a warrant that you don’t know about and you get pulled over by the police, there is a good chance that they will arrest you and put you in jail.
If you know that you have a warrant you can take precautions that will help you to take care of the legal issue on your own terms and without having to be dragged off to jail.
Another reason to keep on the lookout for warrants that might be active is that there may be people around you that are wanted for terrible crimes…and you don’t even know.
The World Wide Web has brought society many gifts, and if we learn how to use them to the best of our advantage, we will always know the things we need to know.
***Regardless of which state you live in it is always wise to contact an attorney for any questions that you may have when it comes to warrant laws or any other legal concerns. The content found on this website is only for informational purposes and is not to be mistaken for legal advice.