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Do the police need a warrant to arrest me in Florida?

Whitney S. Boan Protecting Your Right

Video Transcript

The police do not need a warrant necessarily to arrest you. That doesn’t mean that they cannot get a warrant to arrest you from a judge before they do. However, police in Florida have the right to make a determination where they believe that they have established probable cause that you’ve committed a crime and arrest you under those circumstances without even obtaining a warrant. Police can make mistakes about this and often do. Even if a police officer believes that he or she has probable cause, it may not qualify as such under the law. You should consult with a lawyer to figure out whether or not there’s any challenge to determination of probable cause that a police officer makes or even for the basis for a warrant, if one is obtained to make your arrest.