Which of the following is listed as a mandatory arrest exception?

• A. Verbal abuse/argument
• B. Self defense under 53a-19
• C. Ordinary discipline of a minor
• D. Delinquent acts

Answer: (B)

When officers apply mandatory arrest policies in domestic situations, they are required to arrest if there’s probable cause that an offense occurred. Yet there are clear exceptions where arrest isn’t mandatory, and the strongest example here is self-defense under 53a-19. This statute recognizes that using reasonable force to protect oneself from imminent harm can be justified and not count as criminal conduct. If the use of force is justified by self-defense, it provides a lawful reason the arrest would not be appropriate, so that choice is the valid exception.

Verbal abuse or an argument isn’t, by itself, a justification for avoiding arrest, and ordinary discipline of a minor or delinquent acts refer to different, non-exception scenarios that don’t provide a self-defense justification under the statute.