If I report a person for reckless driving and give the plate # how long would it take for them to be arrested?

gregs111

most likely wreckless driving will only recieve a ticket

and thats only if your willing to sign a complaint against them or the police actually see a violation

pablodelapuente

Speaking from experience, once the call gets to dispatch and if there's a patrol car in the area, that officer will search the general area for a little while. If they can't be caught in the act, though, nothing can be done. Same goes even if looks like they were DUI.

CGIV76

You have the right idea, and it's appreciated. Hopefully a unit will observe the driving, and tag him before he hurts anyone.

snowdrift

In most states, reckless driving is not an arrestable offense unless it is committed in the presence of an officer. This is because reckless driving is a misdemeanor (in all states to my knowledge) and most state laws do not allow officers to arrest suspects for misdemeanors which are not committed in the presence of an officer. There are exceptions, but they don't pertain to your question (again, at least in my state). Therefore, the driver would be issued a ticket to appear in court unless additional charges became apparent to the officers upon stopping the vehicle (ie. DWI/drug possession, etc...)

Obviously, IF the driving conduct resulted in bodily harm or property damage, then it could be more than a misdemeanor level offense and an arrest would be justified as long as the police had probable cause to link the suspect to the reported crime. In that case, you would become an essential witness and would be contacted immediately to provide information.

In your case, you would have had to provide law enforcement with not only the license plate number of the suspect vehicle, but also your location, the driving conduct that occurred, your name, and your contact information so that they locate you for a statement and make a charging decision.

skonch01

they won't be... ever. Unless witnessed by a police officer at the time. They can't arrest (or more accurately cite) based on hearsay

speedysundevil

usually when people call in plates a general ATL (attempt to locate) broadcast is sent to all units. Those that are in the area will attempt to stop the vehicle. Bottom line unless the Officer sees the violation, very little will be done beyond just pulling over the vehicle and checking on the driver. Even if the officer sees the violation, they may only get a ticket. Most of these drivers are long gone before units can get in the area anyway.

RangerEsq

It depends. Generally the police need to observe reckless driving but if they get a report from a couple of different people on something they might investigate. Unless it was outrageous and their phones were ringing off the wall, they probably won't act on your one letter.

Terri R

They won't be,at least not for what you reported. Until,of course,they cause an accident or something.

fr_chuck

I am very sorry, I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but they will never be arrested on just your report, If they have a officer in that area and the officer gets there and he sees it happening, then he will stop them and give them a ticket for reckless driving when it happened,

If the officer did not see it happen, they will not investigate it nor will they arrest him.

awesome_possum

Police won't arrest a person for hearsay evidence unless it can be proven they were the cause of an accident or caused property damage. Reporting a driver and giving a license tells police who to look out for, and aids in justifying pulling them over for "Probable Cause" to determine if they are driving impaired etc. but has no bearing on if they are arrested or not.

dead man hand

A law enforcement officer who knows how to do his job can conduct an investigation into your complaint. You must be able to provide a description of the vehicle and the driver. you must be willing to testify as a witness as you are the only evidence to the illegal action. If you provide an accurate description of the driver and an accurate description of the violations observed then the officer can write a traffic citation for the violations you describe. Anyone who says a police officer cannot write a citation does not know or understand traffic laws. Based on the observations of witnesses and accurate descriptions I have filed charges on many occasions and obtained convictions in the court room when the witness testifies.

weasel16_2get8

its no telling, they will just wait until the person you reported gets pulled over for speeding or goes thur a road block,and radio his name in and find out he has a warrant on him...

The Big Box

eternity. Unless a police officer sees it, you can't do a thing about it, unfortunately.

Admiral Question

It will vary from incident to incident and also depends on the attitude of police towards such offences, not all police treat crime in the same manner. It also depends on the intelligence or lack thereof of the reckless driver.

Have you called the police for an update?

Evan B

Unless a peace officer witnesses the reckless driving you will more than likely be ignored.

Barry auh2o

I don't know and you never will.

Alias Smith & Jones

27 minutes.

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