Legal Definitions - perp walk

A "perp walk" refers to the practice where law enforcement escorts a person who has been arrested and is in custody, typically in handcuffs, past an assembled audience, often including members of the news media. The term "perp" is an abbreviation for perpetrator, referring to the individual suspected of committing a crime. This public display usually occurs when the suspect is being moved between locations, such as from a police station to a courthouse, or when being brought in for questioning or booking.

• Example 1: After a high-profile investigation into corporate embezzlement, the CEO of a major financial firm is arrested at his office. As he is led out of the building by federal agents and escorted to a waiting vehicle for transport to the courthouse for his arraignment, dozens of news cameras and photographers capture images of him, handcuffed, walking past them.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates a perp walk because the CEO, now a suspect in custody, is intentionally displayed to the media while being moved by law enforcement during the legal process.

• Example 2: Following a string of burglaries in a quiet suburban neighborhood, police apprehend a suspect. When officers transfer the handcuffed individual from the local police precinct to the county jail for booking, local television news crews, having been alerted to the arrest, are present outside the precinct to film the suspect being led out by officers.

  Explanation: This is a perp walk as the arrested individual is publicly presented to an audience, specifically the media, while being moved between law enforcement facilities.

• Example 3: A famous actor is arrested on serious assault charges. As he is transported from the police station to the courthouse for his initial appearance before a judge, a large crowd of paparazzi and reporters has gathered. Police officers guide the handcuffed actor through the throng, allowing cameras to capture his image as he makes his way into the building.

  Explanation: This demonstrates a perp walk because the actor, now a suspect in custody, is deliberately walked past an audience of media professionals during his transfer for legal proceedings.