Basic books and resources deemed most helpful for police prosecutors are listed and briefly described, and steps in the preparation of cases are outlined. Basic legal and procedural issues likely to be involved in the trial of a case in the magistrates' court are discussed, including the role of court personnel, jurisdiction, time limits, joining offenses and offenders, offering no evidence and withdrawals, selection of procedure, pleading guilty by letter, and issuing warrants. Issues involved in remands and bail applications are considered, followed by a discussion of juvenile court processing and the licensing offenses. The section of the handbook deemed most important covers various 'pitfalls and snags' likely to be encountered in prosecuting a case. Among the matters considered are problems of evidence, referring to notes, the defendant's character, competence of spouses as witnesses, claims of right, statutory declarations, and duplicity. Fundamental aspects of civil proceedings are explained, and committals for trial and appeals are discussed in the concluding chapter.