Chapter 1 places the police in the larger context of American government, followed by a chapter that addresses two crucial encounters that police have with the public, i.e., detention for questioning and arrest. Both the powers of arrest and Fourth Amendment constraints on police are covered in Chapter 3, which focuses on the Fourth Amendment warrant clause; discusses arrest and search warrants; and provides detailed instructions on preparing affidavits, obtaining warrants, and executing them. Chapter 4 covers many other search-and-seizure issues frequently encountered by patrol officers; and Chapter 5 features confessions and Miranda requirements. The remaining 10 chapters of the text follow the chronological order of court proceedings: the criminal complaint and arraignment, indictments and preliminary hearings, pretrial court proceedings, preparation of a case for trial, the trial, special trials, the sentencing hearing, appeals, corrections, and civil suits. Each chapter contains an outline of learning objectives, a list of key terms, and study questions.