Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 938 - Juvenile justice code.
938.19 - Taking a juvenile into custody.

938.19 Taking a juvenile into custody.
(1) Criteria. A juvenile may be taken into custody under any of the following:
(a) A warrant.
(b) A capias issued by a court under s. 938.28.
(c) A court order if there is a showing that the welfare of the juvenile demands that the juvenile be immediately removed from his or her present custody. The order shall specify that the juvenile be held in custody under s. 938.207.
(d) Circumstances in which a law enforcement officer believes on reasonable grounds that any of the following conditions exists:
1. A capias or a warrant for the juvenile's apprehension has been issued in this state, or the juvenile is a fugitive from justice.
2. A capias or a warrant for the juvenile's apprehension has been issued in another state.
3. The juvenile is committing or has committed an act which is a violation of a state or federal criminal law.
4. The juvenile has run away from his or her parents, guardian or legal or physical custodian.
5. The juvenile is suffering from illness or injury or is in immediate danger from his or her surroundings and removal from those surroundings is necessary.
6. The juvenile has violated a condition of court-ordered supervision, community supervision, or aftercare supervision; a condition of the juvenile's placement in a Type 2 juvenile correctional facility or a Type 2 residential care center for children and youth; or a condition of the juvenile's participation in the intensive supervision program under s. 938.534.
7. The juvenile has violated the conditions of an order under s. 938.21 (4) or of an order for temporary physical custody issued by an intake worker.
8. The juvenile has violated a civil law or a local ordinance punishable by a forfeiture, except that in that case the juvenile shall be released immediately under s. 938.20 (2) (ag) or as soon as reasonably possible under s. 938.20 (2) (b) to (g).
10. The juvenile is absent from school without an acceptable excuse under s. 118.15.
(1m) Truancy. A juvenile who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse under s. 118.15 may be taken into custody by an individual designated under s. 118.16 (2m) (a) if the school attendance officer of the school district in which the juvenile resides, or the juvenile's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, requests that the juvenile be taken into custody. The request shall specifically identify the juvenile.
(2) Notification of parent, guardian, legal custodian, Indian custodian. When a juvenile is taken into physical custody under this section, the person taking the juvenile into custody shall immediately attempt to notify the parent, guardian, legal custodian, and Indian custodian of the juvenile by the most practical means. The person taking the juvenile into custody shall continue such attempt until the parent, guardian, legal custodian, and Indian custodian of the juvenile are notified, or the juvenile is delivered to an intake worker under s. 938.20 (3), whichever occurs first. If the juvenile is delivered to the intake worker before the parent, guardian, legal custodian, and Indian custodian are notified, the intake worker, or another person at his or her direction, shall continue the attempt to notify until the parent, guardian, legal custodian, and Indian custodian of the juvenile are notified.
(3) Not an arrest. Taking into custody is not an arrest except for the purpose of determining whether the taking into custody or the obtaining of any evidence is lawful.
History: 1995 a. 77; 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 344; 2009 a. 94; 2015 a. 55.
A juvenile may not be taken into custody under sub. (1) (d) 8. for violating an ordinance that does not impose a forfeiture although a forfeiture may be imposed under s. 48.343 (2) [now s. 938.343]. In Interest of J.F.F., 164 Wis. 2d 10, 473 N.W.2d 546 (Ct. App. 1991).
NOTE: The above annotation cites to s. 48.19, the predecessor statute to s. 938.19.

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