Police officials - power to cause arrest.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 84.440
in effect84.440. Police officials — power to cause arrest. — In case any police official shall have reason to believe that any person has committed, or is about to commit, within the city or on public property of said city beyond the corporate limits thereof any breach of peace or violation of law and order, or that any person found within the city or on public property of said city beyond the corporate limits thereof is charged with the commission of crime in the state of Missouri, against whom criminal proceedings shall have been issued, or when any person may have committed an offense within view of a member of such police force, said police official may cause such person to be arrested by any member of the police force. In cases where officers make arrest for crime committed within their view, the offenders shall at once be conveyed before some police judge or some judge in the city and the proper complaint against him shall be filed by said officer.
(RSMo 1939 § 7651, A.L. 1943 p. 727 § 7652) Prior revisions: 1929 § 7509; 1919 § 8920; 1909 § 9772 (1958) Where officer was authorized to arrest a person on suspicion after seeing loaded rifle in back seat of car, a search of the car was lawful and stolen property therein found held admissible. State v. Cantrell (Mo.), 310 S.W.2d 866.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=84.440Fetched: 10/17/2026