Is It Legal to Make a Citizen’s Arrest in Connecticut or New York?

When characters say they want to make a citizen's arrest in movies or TV shows, do you ever wonder exactly how something like that is even possible or if it's even real? After all, it usually happens in comedies.

Does a citizen's arrest even exist?

According to the How Stuff Works website, uniformed police officers and police departments didn't exist until about 200 years ago, so it was up to everyday people to make arrests. Despite its dark, heinous history in America, where self-appointed citizens would go so far as to viciously beat up or even murder who they determined to be lawbreakers, the law is still on the books in every state.

Originally, only white men could make citizen’s arrests. By the mid-1600s, many militias and city watchmen, especially in the South, used that power to intimidate and terrorize enslaved and free Black communities. This practice continued through the Civil War, the Jim Crow era, and even into the 1900s.

So, if you want to make a citizen's arrest, trying to stop someone from leaving before the police arrive could be considered false imprisonment or kidnapping, no? According to How Things Work, it really depends on what your citizen's arrest is and if anyone is injured.

Did you stop a bank robber, a fistfight, or a shoplifter?

CONNECTICUT

According to the Connecticut General Assembly, a citizen can make an arrest if they're literally witnessing it.

READ ON: Is It Illegal to Flash Your Lights to Warn Drivers of Police Speed Trap?

NEW YORK

According to the New York General Assembly, a citizen can make an arrest for witnessing a crime or knowing about a crime.

Keep in mind that the person you're arresting can sue you, especially if you turn out to be wrong.