How are criminal cases prosecuted in Connecticut?

Prosecutors rely on police officers to investigate an allegation that someone has committed a crime. In many cases, the police make an arrest at the scene of a crime. The person arrested is then presented to the court to determine if there is probable cause to believe that he or she committed the crime charged by the police. The prosecutor then determines whether to proceed with the case and, if so, what charges are brought.

In other cases, prior to any arrest, the police do not make an arrest directly from their investigation, but provide the information they have collected to the prosecutor. The prosecutor will then review the case and decide if the case will be presented to a judge for the issuance of an arrest warrant.

A prosecutor may decline to request an arrest warrant if he or she determines that the evidence collected by the police is not sufficient to prove that a crime has been committed, or to prove who committed the crime.

The prosecutor also may order further investigation, either by the police, or in unusual cases, by an investigatory grand jury. Once an arrest warrant is signed by a judge, the person named in the warrant is arrested and the case begins its way through the court system.