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Pottstown DWI Lawyers

• Wolf, Baldwin & Associates: Key concepts in the American way of life are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." When the State threatens the personal liberty of an individual, quick action is essential to preserve that liberty.
• Kurtas Law Firm: There are several established exceptions to the warrant requirement, including when police officers have probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a felony or misdemeanor in their presence. In fact, a great number of arrests have historically taken place without warrants. In order to arrest a person or otherwise take them into "custody" without a warrant, a police officer must have the same level of probable cause that is required for the issuance of an arrest warrant. Further, an officer performing a warrantless arrest must be able to base probable cause on conditions that existed prior to the stop, rather than on conditions discovered thereafter. The Probable Cause Standard Applies to All Arrests In a 2001 case, the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether the custodial arrest of an individual committing a minor traffic offense without a warrant constituted an unreasonable seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Ultimately, the Court held that warrantless misdemeanor arrests are not unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment if based upon probable cause. Specifically, the defendant in Atwater v. Lago Vista was arrested without a warrant for violating a Texas law that required front-seat passengers and small children riding in the front of a car to wear a seatbelt. Upon observing that the defendant was driving with her two small children in the front seat, all without a seatbelt, the police officer in the case pulled the defendant over and arrested her. In upholding the arrest as valid under the Fourth Amendment, the Court reasoned that the arrest was reasonable because the officer had probable cause to believe that the defendant had violated the law.