An arrest with a warrant is lawful whether or not the officer has the warrant in his/her possession at the time of the arrest. However, upon requests of the person arrested, the warrant shall be shown to him/her as soon as practicable. Which statement is true?

An arrest with a warrant is lawful whether or not the officer has the warrant in his/her possession at the time of the arrest. However, upon requests of the person arrested, the warrant shall be shown to him/her as soon as practicable. Which statement is true?

• A. The arrest remains lawful even if the officer does not have the warrant in possession, and the warrant must be shown on request as soon as practicable.
• B. The warrant must be in possession at all times, otherwise arrest is invalid.
• C. The warrant need not be shown to the arrestee.
• D. The warrant is invalid if not immediately shown to the arrestee.

Answer: (C)

Understanding warrants and how they’re shown is key here. An arrest made under a warrant is valid even if the officer doesn’t have the warrant in hand at the moment of arrest. If the person arrested asks to see the warrant, the officer must show it, but only as soon as practicable. So the true statement is that the arrest remains lawful regardless of possession, and the warrant must be shown on request as soon as practicable. Why the other ideas don’t fit: requiring the warrant to be in possession at all times isn’t necessary for the arrest to be valid; saying the warrant need not be shown ignores the requirement to display it when asked; and saying the warrant is invalid if not shown immediately ignores the (as soon as practicable) standard.

Understanding warrants and how they’re shown is key here. An arrest made under a warrant is valid even if the officer doesn’t have the warrant in hand at the moment of arrest. If the person arrested asks to see the warrant, the officer must show it, but only as soon as practicable. So the true statement is that the arrest remains lawful regardless of possession, and the warrant must be shown on request as soon as practicable.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: requiring the warrant to be in possession at all times isn’t necessary for the arrest to be valid; saying the warrant need not be shown ignores the requirement to display it when asked; and saying the warrant is invalid if not shown immediately ignores the (as soon as practicable) standard.