Reply #121: Arrest warrants aren't the same as search warrants. [View All]

If a cop comes to your house to search it, he damn well better have a warrant "fair on its face." And you have every right to inspect it before you consent (which I wouldn't even give until I had the chance to attempt to verify its authenticity.)

Arrest warrants are different: peace officers aren't -required- to produce it (or a copy even) to
carry them out. Thousands of people are arrested every day after a routine traffic stop when the
existence of outstanding warrants is verified... by radio, computer, etc.

Now, I'm not passing judgment of whether this is a good or a bad thing, just saying it has been so for
many decades. Obviously if the warrant does NOT exist, (a situation I find difficult to believe) the
cops are extremely culpable. And I also know (from personal experience) that there are too many 'trigger happy' cops with insufficient training or having mentalities that are incompatible with
good police work out there. Given the pay they get, it shouldn't really surprise anyone.

Clearly, the arrest attempt went horribly wrong, I don't think any of us would say otherwise, but the
details are as yet obscure and hopefully the state or even federal Bureaus of Investigation will get to the bottom of it.