Dear visitor, PosseUSA.org announced its presence on the web on February 13, 2008 with a mission to bring to
justice traitors who suck America’s blood while spilling American blood, and their servants who break the law.
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Citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not a sworn law enforcement official. In common law
jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, when sheriffs
encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.
Despite the title, the arresting person does not usually have to be a citizen of the country where he/she is acting,
as they are usually designated as any person with arrest powers.
United States
Each state with the exception of North Carolina permits citizen arrests if the commission of felony is witnessed
by the arresting citizen, or when a citizen is asked to assist in the apprehension of a suspect by police. The
application of state laws varies widely with respect to misdemeanors, breaches of the peace, and felonies not
witnessed by the arresting party. American citizens do not carry the authority or enjoy the legal protections of
police, and are held to the principle of strict liability before the courts of civil- and criminal law including but
not limited to any infringement of another's rights.
Though North Carolina General Statutes have no provision for citizen's arrests, detention by private persons is
permitted and apply to both civilians, and police officers outside their jurisdiction.
Detention of any person is permitted where probable cause exists that one has committed a felony, breach of
peace, physical injury to another person, or theft or destruction of property. The key distinction between arrest
and detainment is that a detainee may not be transported without consent.
The state of Washington does not have a specific statute granting citizen's arrest powers. However there have
been several state court decisions rendered that affirm and uphold common law citizen's arrest power for (a)
felonies committed in the presence of the person making the arrest or (b) misdemeanors committed in the
presence of the person making the arrest provided the misdemeanor also constituted a breach of the peace.
Legal and political aspects
A person who makes a citizen's arrest could risk exposing himself to possible lawsuits or criminal charges (such
as charges of impersonating police, false imprisonment, kidnapping, or wrongful arrest) if the wrong person is
apprehended or a suspect's civil rights are violated.
The level of responsibility that a person performing a citizen's arrest may bear depends on the jurisdiction. For
instance, in France and Germany, a person stopping a criminal from committing a crime, including crimes
against belongings, is not criminally responsible as long as the means employed are in proportion to the threat
(note, however, that at least in Germany this results from a different legal norm: "self-defense" and "aid to
others in immediate danger"—which are concerned with prevention, not prosecution, of crimes).
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Posse USA
