D.A.T. stands for Desk Appearance Ticket and is a type of citation given for violations and sometimes misdemeanors. Normally when someone commits a crime and is arrested they are taken down to the police station, fingerprinted, photographed, taken to central booking and locked in a holding cell pending a bail hearing. However if the crime committed is very minor like a violation or an unclassified misdemeanor the person being arrested can be issued a desk appearance ticket; this means after they are fingerprinted and photographed they are released on their own recognizance and do not need to have a bail hearing. However the person being issued the DAT will still have to go to court just like anyone else that is arrested and charged with a crime; the ticket will specify the time and date the individual being issued the DAT will need to appear in court, where they will enter a plea before the judge and be informed of a trial date if they enter a plea of not guilty.