In most cases, the police require a warrant in order to arrest someone. To obtain a warrant the police, or public prosecutor, must present evidence to a judge who then will issue a warrant if convinced that there is probable cause to suspect that the target of the warrant has committed a crime. The lengthy process of obtaining a warrant protects the public from baseless arrests but there are two main exceptions. First, warrants need not be obtained for flagrant offenders who are caught in the commission of a crime or immediately thereafter. Second, in cases of great urgency where […]