Who polices Bristol
Bristol has its own police department, and arrests in the city are made by Bristol officers, who book you and either release you or set a bond.
That part has not changed. What changed is where the case goes afterward.
Where your case goes
This is the part worth reading twice. Bristol used to have its own Geographical Area court, GA 17, and it is closed. Bristol cases are now heard at New Britain Superior Court, GA 15.
People still search for the Bristol court, and old paperwork, old letters, and old web pages still name it. If anything you are holding says Bristol Superior Court, that building is not where your case is. Allow for the drive to New Britain and for parking, which is mostly metered or paid; the court page has the detail.
Released after the arrest, the date on your paperwork is the one that matters. Held, court is the next business day.
After the arrest
How the night ends turns on the bond. A written promise to appear or a posted bond and you leave with a date; otherwise you are held for court the next business day. The arrest page covers booking and the bond and bail page covers what a bondsman charges and why the fee does not come back.
Whatever your paperwork says about a courthouse, the date on it is real and it is the thing to plan around.
Do not discuss the case with anyone in the meantime. A family violence arrest is heard the next business day and produces a protective order at that appearance, lasting the life of the case. The arraignment page and the what to expect page cover what follows.
Common charges in Bristol
The Bristol docket at GA 15 covers DUI, assault, domestic violence and family violence, drug possession, and larceny and shoplifting, the last of it largely out of the retail areas. On a first offense a diversionary program that ends in dismissal is usually what an attorney is aiming for.