Arrestable Offenses

Arrestable Offenses

  • The list of Misdemeanors and Felonies in the Powers to Arrest Manual are examples of the types and seriousness of some laws enacted by the State of California. The California Penal Code and other state codes include thousands of criminal acts a person could commit.

 

  • Many security officers are not familiar with Penal Code Section 664, Attempts. An officer who observes a person attempting to commit a crime, but does not complete the crime, still has a criminal violation situation to handle – 664PC attempting to commit a crime. An example of a 664 violation might be Attempted Burglary (459 PC). It would be listed as 664/459 PC, meaning that the person was attempting a burglary but was unable to complete the crime.

 

  • Security officers should attempt to learn as much about the penal code as possible. One of the most effective methods is to read 10 sections per day. This takes only a few minutes and the officer would be amazed at the knowledge gain in just 30 days.

 

  • Any sections not understood could be clarified by looking up the definitions or asking a supervisor or local police officer to clarify.

 

Private Person Arrest

The only lawful reason for making an arrest is so that person can be brought before the court to answer the charges against him.

1. An arrest is not for punishment or protection. 2. An arrest is not for retaliation.
3. An arrest is not for revenge.
4. An arrest is not for incapacitation.
5. An arrest is only for bringing the accused person to answer charges.