Citizenâs arrest âIn the United States, law enforcement officers are given what is called the âPower of Arrest.â âThis means that officers are allowed to take a person into custody when there is either a warrant for their arrest or when there is sufficient evidence or âprobable causeâ that they have committed a crime. âOur society relies on law enforcement to make arrests and with one exception this is what they do. âThe exception recognizes the fact that the police cannot be everywhere at once and that private citizens might be confronted with situations where they should be allowed to arrest a criminal suspect.