What word means to arrest or capture?

The word that means to arrest or capture, on the USCIS reading vocabulary list, is Apprehend. To apprehend is to take into custody, especially under legal authority. In U.S. law enforcement the verb is most commonly used in connection with arrests of suspects by federal, state, or local officers, and with the capture of persons sought under warrants.

Federal arrest authority is distributed across many agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), within the Department of Justice, investigates and apprehends people suspected of federal crimes including terrorism, espionage, organized crime, public corruption, civil rights violations, white-collar crime, and major cyber incidents. The U.S. Marshals Service apprehends federal fugitives, transports federal prisoners, and protects federal courts. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland Security, apprehend people for violations of immigration and customs laws.

Apprehension by federal officers is governed by the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and generally requires a warrant based on probable cause before an arrest, with exceptions including arrests in public places upon probable cause that a felony has been committed (United States v. Watson, 1976) and exigent circumstances. Once apprehended, a suspect must be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay (Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 5), informed of the charges, and advised of the right to counsel and the right to remain silent under Miranda v. Arizona (1966).

On the reading test Apprehend may appear in a sentence about police, federal law enforcement, or the courts, although it is one of the more advanced reading vocabulary words and is less common than basic verbs like vote or pay.