Taft Municipal Code Ch. 2 Citations; Notices to Appear

If any person is arrested for the violation of any ordinance of the city and such person is not immediately taken before a magistrate as prescribed in the state Penal Code, the arresting officer shall prepare a written notice to appear in court, containing the name and address of such person, the offense charged, and the time and place where and when such person shall appear in court. (Ord. 694-02, 8-20-2002)

Any person wilfully violating his written promise to appear in court is guilty of a misdemeanor regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which he was originally arrested and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. (Ord. 694-02, 8-20-2002)

When a person signs a written promise to appear at the time and place specified in the written promise to appear and has not posted bail as provided in section 853.6 of the state Penal Code, the magistrate shall issue and have delivered for execution a warrant for his arrest within twenty (20) days after his failure to appear as promised, or if such person promises to appear before an officer authorized to accept bail other than a magistrate and fails to do so on or before the date which he promises to appear, then, within twenty (20) days after the delivery of such written promise to appear by the officer, to a magistrate having jurisdiction over the offense. (Ord. 603, 10-19-1993)

The City Council may by ordinance authorize any officer or employee who has the duty to enforce a statute or ordinance to arrest persons for violations of such statute or ordinance as provided in section 836.5 of the Penal Code of the state of California. Such public officer or employee may arrest a person without a warrant whenever he or she has reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a misdemeanor in his or her presence which is in violation of a statute or ordinance which the employee has the duty to enforce. (Ord. 852-23, 7-18-2023)

It is the duty of city enforcement officers as defined in section 1-3-3 to enforce the provisions of this code and they are authorized to arrest any person without a warrant whenever the enforcement officer has a reasonable cause to believe that the person arrested has committed a misdemeanor or infraction in the enforcement officer’s presence which is a violation of this code. (Ord. 852-23, 7-18-2023; amd. Ord. 854-25, 10-21-2025)