TITLE 11

Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Criminal Procedure Generally

CHAPTER 19. Arrest and Commitment; Fresh Pursuit

Subchapter II. Fresh Pursuit

§ 1931. Definitions.

As used in this subchapter:

“Fresh pursuit” includes fresh pursuit as defined by the common law, and also the pursuit of a person who has committed a felony or a misdemeanor or a violation of the Motor Vehicle Code of this State or who is reasonably suspected of having committed a felony or a misdemeanor or a violation of the Motor Vehicle Code of this State, and also includes the pursuit of a person suspected of having committed a supposed felony or misdemeanor or violation of the Motor Vehicle Code of the State though no violation of the law has actually been committed, if there is reasonable grounds for believing that a violation of the law has been committed; however, fresh pursuit as used in this subchapter does not necessarily imply instant pursuit, but pursuit without unreasonable delay.

41 Del. Laws, c. 216, §  5;  11 Del. C. 1953, §  1931;  56 Del. Laws, c. 154, §  1

§ 1932. Arrest by out-of-state police.

(a) Any member of a duly organized state, county or municipal peace unit of another state of the United States who enters this State in fresh pursuit, and continues within this State in such fresh pursuit, of a person in order to arrest the person on the ground that the person is believed to have committed a felony, a misdemeanor or a violation of the motor vehicle code in such other state, shall have the same authority to arrest and hold such person in custody, as has any member of any duly organized state, county or municipal peace unit of this State, to arrest and hold in custody a person on the ground that the person is believed to have committed a felony, a misdemeanor or a violation of the Motor Vehicle Code in this State.

(b) This section shall not be construed so as to make unlawful any arrest in this State which would otherwise be lawful.

41 Del. Laws, c. 216, §§  1, 3;  11 Del. C. 1953, §  1932;  56 Del. Laws, c. 154, §  270 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1

§ 1933. Hearing before justice of the peace; waiver of extradition.

If an arrest is made in this State by an officer of another state in accordance with § 1932 of this title, the officer shall without unnecessary delay take the person arrested before a justice of the peace of the county in which the arrest was made, who shall conduct a hearing for the purpose of determining the lawfulness of the arrest. If the justice of the peace determines that the arrest was lawful the justice of the peace shall commit the person arrested to await for a reasonable time the issuance of an extradition warrant by the Governor of this State, or admit the person to bail for such purpose. If the justice of the peace determines that the arrest was unlawful the justice of the peace shall discharge the person arrested.

If the person so arrested waives extradition in the manner provided by law, upon the filing of the waiver at the central office or headquarters of any local, county or state police, or at the local office of the Attorney General, the officer having the arrested person in charge may forthwith take the person from this State to the state where the arrested person is wanted for having committed the felony.

41 Del. Laws, c. 216, §  2;  11 Del. C. 1953, §  1933;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1

§ 1934. Short title.

This subchapter may be cited as the “Uniform Law on Fresh Pursuit.”

41 Del. Laws, c. 216, §  8;  11 Del. C. 1953, §  1934; 

§ 1935. Fresh pursuit by county, municipal, town and other peace units.

Any peace officer of a duly organized county, municipal, town, interstate bridge or university peace unit or a law-enforcement officer of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, but not county sheriffs or their deputies, may carry out fresh pursuit of any person anywhere within this State, regardless of the original territorial jurisdiction of such officer, in order to arrest such person pursued, when there is reasonable grounds to suspect that a felony, misdemeanor, or violation of the Motor Vehicle Code has been committed in this State by such person.

11 Del. C. 1953, §  1935;  56 Del. Laws, c. 154, §  366 Del. Laws, c. 304, §  170 Del. Laws, c. 105, §  1478 Del. Laws, c. 266, §  4