---
title: O.C.G.A. § 17-4-21. Duty of arresting officer to take arrested person before judicial officer; right of arrested person to select judicial officer.
collection: code
id: 17-4-21
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 17-4-21 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4-21
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4-21.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4-21/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t17-(v15)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=8c04ccfe_0#page=124
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4-20.2.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-4-22.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE / ARREST OF PERSONS / ARREST BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS GENERALLY
---

# O.C.G.A. § 17-4-21. Duty of arresting officer to take arrested person before judicial officer; right of arrested person to select judicial officer.

The arresting officer shall take the arrested person before the most convenient and accessible judicial officer authorized to hear the case unless the arrested person requests otherwise, in which case, if there is no suspicion of improper motive, the arresting officer shall take him before some other judicial officer. An arrested person has no right to select the judicial officer before whom he shall be tried.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 4599; Code 1868, § 4621; Code 1873, § 4718; Code 1882, § 4718; Penal Code 1895, § 897; Penal Code 1910, § 918; Code 1933, § 27-208.

## Cross References

Delivery of mentally ill persons, alcoholics, and others to emergency receiving facilities upon apprehension by peace officer, §§ 37-3-41, 37-3-42, 37-7-41, 37-7-42. Initial appearance hearing in magistrate court, Uniform Rules for the Magistrate Courts, Rule 13.