A false arrest is the unreasonable seizure of someone's personality. A seizure is considered unreasonable when there is a lack of probable cause to support it.As an experienced false arrest attorney in New York can explain, a false arrest claim is a claim against the government. When a police officer lacks probable cause to make an arrest, a plaintiff can make a false imprisonment claim based on the detention pursuant to the arrest. From the legal perspective, wrongful arrest refers to the unlawful restraint of a person's freedom of movement. False arrest involves someone being held against their will or being taken into custody without their consent or a legal justification. In the state of California a police officer must knowingly arrest an innocent person inorder for it to be a "false arrest". A false arrest is one without probable cause. The dismissal of the case does not mean it was a false arrest. In New York, a private person or a police officer commits the tort of false imprisonment or false arrest when they detain someone without legal authority.