How to Make a Citizen’s Arrest

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You see someone doing something illegal and there are no police officers around. Do you have the right to play cop? Here’s the lowdown.

Warning
Making a citizen’s arrest can put you at risk for physical injury and lawsuits. If you witness a crime, the best thing to do is call the authorities.

Step 1: Know the law
Know the law. Citizen’s arrest laws vary from state to state. Some states only allow citizen’s arrests for felonies.

Step 2: Follow the rules
Follow the same rules as a police officer. That means you must have probable cause that a crime was committed, and you can only use reasonable force to detain the person—though restraining them at all is not advisable.

Step 3: Weigh the circumstances
Weigh the circumstances. Detaining someone who’s selling drugs to a child will be viewed quite differently by the courts than handcuffing someone to a traffic sign for not picking up after their dog.

Step 4: Make your move
Tell the alleged wrongdoer, 'I am not a police officer, but I’m effecting a citizen’s arrest.' Instruct them to stay put until the police arrive.

Tip
If there’s time, call the police before you make your move.

Step 5: Proceed with caution
Proceed with caution. If the person resists or flees, let them go and have the authorities take over.

Tip
Before you take off after someone in hot pursuit, keep in mind that if you chase someone into traffic and a vehicle hits them, you could be hit with attempted murder or manslaughter charges.

Step 6: Pat yourself on the back
As authorities slap the cuffs on the hoodlum you apprehended, give yourself a big pat on the back for making the world just a little bit safer.

Did You Know?
In July 2008, four antiwar activists were arrested in Des Moines, Iowa, after they tried to make a citizen’s arrest of George W. Bush’s former adviser Karl Rove for war crimes.