Policy Text
I. POLICY
The Delray Beach Police Department has the responsibility and duty to make arrests based
upon probable cause within the city limits.
Many instances of public contact will occur where an arrest may be made but should not be
affected due to mitigating circumstances. Public empathy can be enhanced by the careful
use of discretion and potential ill will can be avoided. Officers must be capable of making
reasonable responses in stress situations involving criminal and non-criminal behavior. The
conduct and action of an officer must be predicated upon facts as they reasonably appear.
Officers are expected to rely upon their experience, training, and good judgment to guide
them toward morally justified and lawful decisions.
What is reasonable in terms of appropriate police action or what constitutes probable cause,
varies with each situation. Depending upon specific facts, officers may be justified in
conducting an investigation, detaining, arresting, and searching a person; or they may
decide to take no action at all.
The requirement that legal justification be present prior to acting imposes a limitation on all
official police actions. In every case, officers must always act reasonably and within the
limits of their authority as defined by Florida Statutes and judicial interpretation. This will
ensure that the rights of the individual, as well as the public, are protected.
In instances when a criminal act occurs and the officer does not make a physical arrest, a
report will be written, and further investigation may be initiated.