Basically, you can be arrested when there is “probable cause” to believe you have committed a crime.

Probable cause exists when the circumstances would lead a reasonable person to believe you “probably committed a crime.”

An officer who has probable cause to believe you have committed a crime in his presence can arrest you for that offense.  He can also arrest you if he has probable cause to believe you have committed one or more of the following crimes outside his presence:

•    A felony
•    A misdemeanor where you will not be apprehended unless arrested immediately
•    A misdemeanor where you will damage property or injure someone unless arrested immediately

Otherwise, you can be arrested only if there is a warrant for your arrest