People sometimes hear that police had enough evidence to arrest somebody, then wonder how that same person could walk out of court with a not-guilty verdict. Or they see an officer detain someone for questioning and assume the officer must already have enough evidence to make an arrest. The confusion usually comes from treating reasonable…
A police report is a record of what somebody reported to law enforcement. It doesn’t establish that a crime occurred, and it doesn’t mean somebody has to be arrested. Sometimes an officer takes a report and begins an investigation. Other times, there’s nothing more for law enforcement to do with the information provided. I understand…
You see something happening in your neighborhood, call the police, and explain the problem. An officer comes out, talks to a few people, and leaves without arresting anyone. From your side, it may look like nothing happened. Sometimes the officer could have explained the response better. But there are also times when we know something…