What is an Arrest Warrant?

What is an Arrest Warrant?

• A. A Written Order Signed by a Judge Directing a Police Officer to Arrest the Person Named in It Who Is Accused of an Offense
• B. A Defense a Defendant Uses That Offers Evidence to Show That He Was in Another Place at the Time the Crime Was Committed
• C. A Type of Forfeit of Rights in Court
• D. A Statement Given to a Police Officer After Arrest

Answer: (A)

An arrest warrant is a formal judicial authorization that lets police arrest a specific person. It must be a written order signed by a judge or magistrate and names the person to be arrested (and the offense they’re accused of). The warrant is based on probable cause shown in a sworn filing, and it directs officers to take the individual into custody. This is why the correct description is a written order signed by a judge directing a police officer to arrest the named person. The other options describe unrelated ideas—a defense claiming the person was elsewhere, a rights waiver, or a statement made after arrest—so they don’t fit what an arrest warrant is.

An arrest warrant is a formal judicial authorization that lets police arrest a specific person. It must be a written order signed by a judge or magistrate and names the person to be arrested (and the offense they’re accused of). The warrant is based on probable cause shown in a sworn filing, and it directs officers to take the individual into custody. This is why the correct description is a written order signed by a judge directing a police officer to arrest the named person. The other options describe unrelated ideas—a defense claiming the person was elsewhere, a rights waiver, or a statement made after arrest—so they don’t fit what an arrest warrant is.