book

en-verb

book (third-person singular simple present books, present participle booking, simple past and past participle booked)

books (present singular third-person)
booking (participle present)
booked (participle past)
booked (past)

From Middle English booken, boken, from Old English bōcian, ġebōcian, from the noun (see above).

some speakers from Northern England and Ireland

buck (without the foot-strut split, when pronounced /bʊk/)

The police booked him for driving too fast.

(law enforcement, transitive) To record the name and other details of a suspected offender and the offence for later judicial action.


pies

pies m animal or (canonical masculine person)
pies (nominative singular)
psy (nominative plural)
psa (genitive singular)
psów (genitive plural)
psu (dative singular)
psom (dative plural)
psa (accusative singular)
psy (accusative plural)
psów (accusative plural)
psem (instrumental singular)
psami (instrumental plural)
psie (locative singular)
psach (locative plural)
psie (singular vocative)
psy (plural vocative)

(derogatory, law enforcement, slang) cop, policeman


PM

polisi militer
polisi militer#Indonesian

(military, law enforcement) initialism of polisi militer (“military police”)


FBI

→ Arabic: إِف بِي أَي (ʔif bī ʔay)

→ Bulgarian: ФБР (FBR)

→ Dutch: FBI

→ French: FBI

→ Galician: FBI

desc

→ Hindi: एफ़ बी आई (ef bī āī)

→ Hindi: एफ़ बी आई (ef bī āī)

→ Indonesian: FBI

→ Japanese: エフ・ビー・アイ

→ Japanese: エフ・ビー・アイ

→ Marathi: एफ्.बी.आय्. (eph.bī.āy.)

→ Persian: افبیآی

→ Portuguese: FBI

→ Romanian: FBI

→ Russian: ФБР (FBR)

→ Thai: เอฟบีไอ

→ Thai: เอฟบีไอ

The FBI began publishing national quarterly crime reports last year, but has not done so for the first two quarters of 2021, stating that they require at least 60% of agencies to submit NIBRS data in order to publish quarterly data.

2021 September 27, Priya Krishnakumar, “Murders rose sharply in 2020 but data is lacking across much of the country”, in CNN:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of Federal Bureau of Investigation.


mandat

→ Ottoman Turkish: ماندا (manda)

Turkish: manda

Borrowed from Latin mandātum, from mandō (“put in one's hands, command”), from Proto-Indo-European *man- (“hand”) + *dʰeh₁- (“put”).


SARS

Special Anti-Robbery Squad
w:Special Anti-Robbery Squad

(Nigeria, law enforcement) Initialism of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a Nigerian police unit known for police brutality and corruption.


copper

From cop (“to take, capture, seize”) + -er (agent noun suffix).

af

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-copper.wav

One evening as I was lying down in Leicester Square / I was picked up by the coppers and kicked in the balls

1985, Shane MacGowan, “The Old Main Drag”, in Rum Sodomy & the Lash, performed by The Pogues:

(slang, law enforcement) A police officer.


AC

ACs (plural)
a.c. (alternative)
A/C (alternative)
a/c (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
a.c. (alternative)
ac (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
A. C. (alternative)
a.c. (alternative)

assistant commissioner
assistant commissioner#English

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of assistant commissioner, a police rank used in London's Metropolitan Police.


DC

en-noun

DC (countable and uncountable, plural DCs)

detective constable
detective constable#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of detective constable, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.


SP

SP (countable and uncountable, plural SPs)

SPs (plural)
S.P. (alternative)
S. P. (alternative)

(law enforcement) Initialism of state police.

(law enforcement) Abbreviation of superintendent.


CI

CI (countable and uncountable, plural CIs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of chief inspector, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.

confidential informant
confidential informant#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of confidential informant.


CS

chief superintendent
w:chief superintendent

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of chief superintendent.


CO

corrections officer
corrections officer#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of corrections officer.

correctional officer
correctional officer#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of correctional officer.


IA

IA (countable and uncountable, plural IAs)

internal affairs
internal affairs#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of internal affairs, a department responsible for investigating complaints against police officers.


SD

(law enforcement) Initialism of sheriff's department.


Zulu

(law enforcement, slang) police helicopter


down

en-adj

down (comparative more down, superlative most down)

tlb

(chiefly predicative, but see usage notes)

more down (comparative)
most down (superlative)

From Middle English doun, doune, from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”). More at Etymology 2 below. For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Middle Low German dāle (“down, downwards”, literally “(in/to the) dale/valley”), whence German Low German dal (“down”). Compare also Saterland Frisian deel (“down”, literally “to/into the dale”).

ncog

We have an officer down outside the suspect's house.

There are three soldiers down and one walking wounded.

(not comparable, military, law enforcement, slang, of a person) Wounded and unable to move normally, or killed.


make

en-verb

make (third-person singular simple present makes, present participle making, simple past and past participle made or (dialectal or obsolete) maked)

makes (present singular third-person)
making (participle present)
made (participle past)
made (past)
maked (dialectal obsolete participle past)
maked (dialectal obsolete past)
make (infinitive)
make (first-person present singular)
made (first-person past singular)
maked (dialectal first-person past singular)
make (present second-person singular)
makest (archaic present second-person singular)
made (past second-person singular)
maked (dialectal past second-person singular)
madest (archaic past second-person singular)
makes (present singular third-person)
maketh (archaic present singular third-person)
made (past singular third-person)
maked (dialectal past singular third-person)
make (plural present)
made (past plural)
maked (dialectal past plural)
make (present subjunctive)
made (past subjunctive)
maked (dialectal past subjunctive)
make (imperative present)
making (participle present)
makeing (archaic participle present)
made (participle past)
maked (dialectal participle past)
mak (alternative Durham Wearside dialectal)
makee (alternative pronunciation-spelling)
myek (alternative Geordie dialectal)

From Middle English maken, from Old English macian (“to make, build, work”), from Proto-West Germanic *makōn (“to make, build, work”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂ǵ- (“to knead, mix, make”).
Related to match.
Cognates
* Scots mak (“to make”)
* Saterland Frisian moakje (“to make”)
* West Frisian meitsje (“to make”)
* Dutch maken (“to make”)
* Dutch Low Saxon maken (“to make”)
* German Low German maken (“to make”)
* German machen (“to make, do”)
* Danish mage (“to make, arrange (in a certain way)”)
* Latin mācerō, macer
* Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō)

elér

with definite conjugation and a subordinate clause

don't get your honey where you make your money

it takes a heap of living to make a house a home

it takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home

it takes a lot of living to make a house a home

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make lofty ships carry low sails

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

I caught sight of him two or three times and then made him turning north into Laurel Canyon Drive.

1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 33:

Linus Caldwell: Well, she just made Danny and Yen, which means in the next 48 hours the three o' your pictures are gonna be in every police station in Europe.

2004, George Nolfi et al., Ocean's Twelve, Warner Bros. Pictures, 0:50:30

David Sinclair: (walking) Almost at Seventh; I should have a visual any second now. (rounds a corner, almost collides into Kaleed Asan) Damn, that was close.
Don Eppes: David, he make you?
David Sinclair: No, I don't think so.

2007 May 4, Andrew Dettmann et al., "Under Pressure", episode 3-22 of Numb3rs, 00:01:16

(transitive, US slang, crime, law enforcement) To recognise, identify, spot.


boot

Solombala English: бучь (bučʹ)

→ Maltese: buz

→ Russian: бутса (butsa)

→ Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic script: бу́це

Latin script: búce

→ Swahili: buti

From Middle English boote, bote (“shoe”), from Old French bote (“a high, thick shoe”). Of obscure origin, but probably related to Old French bot (“club-foot”), bot (“fat, short, blunt”), from Old Frankish *butt, from Proto-Germanic *buttaz, *butaz (“cut off, short, numb, blunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewt-, *bʰewd- (“to strike, push, shock”); if so, a doublet of butt. Compare Old Norse butt (“stump”), Low German butt (“blunt, plump”), Old English bytt (“small piece of land”), buttuc (“end”). More at buttock and debut.

a lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on

couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel

Did you even go to OCS, you complete and utter boot!?

2020 November 2, JoshScorcher, “Top Ten Hated Characters We're Supposed to Like”, in YouTube:

(US, military, law enforcement, slang) A recently arrived recruit; a rookie.


sat

(law enforcement) clipping of satuan (“unit”)


spin

en-verb

spin (third-person singular simple present spins, present participle spinning, simple past spun or (uncommon) span or (nonstandard) spinned, past participle spun or (nonstandard) spinned)

spins (present singular third-person)
spinning (participle present)
spun (past)
span (past uncommon)
spinned (nonstandard past)
spun (participle past)
spinned (nonstandard participle past)

From Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-. Compare Low German spinnen, Dutch spinnen, German spinnen, Danish spinde, Swedish spinna.

But then again, unless someone struck lucky in those first few hours, there weren't even enough detectives to spin a drum [house].

(UK, law enforcement, slang, transitive) To search rapidly.


sting

From Middle English stynge, sting, stenge, from Old English sting, stinċġ (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stangiz.

The criminal gang was caught after a successful sting.

Shepard: I'm taking you in, Jax.
Turian Bodyguard: It's a sting. Bastard set us up.
Jax: What the hell are you playing at?

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

(law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to engage in criminal activity in order to catch a criminal.


cover

cover (third-person singular simple present covers, present participle covering, simple past and past participle covered)

covers (present singular third-person)
covering (participle present)
covered (participle past)
covered (past)

→ German: covern

→ Danish: lave en cover

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-?
Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
Proto-Italic *kom
Old Latin com
Latin cum
Latin con-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi
Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer-
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Latin operiō
Latin cooperiō
Old French covrirbor.
Middle English coveren
English cover
From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“I cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“I close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (for)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)).
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was “hide from view” as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of “cover again”, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate. Cognate with Spanish cubrir (“to cover”).

cog

(military, law enforcement, transitive) To protect using an aimed firearm and the threat of firing; or to protect using continuous, heaving fire at or in the direction of the enemy so as to force the enemy to remain in cover; or to threaten using an aimed firearm.


collar

en-verb

collar (third-person singular simple present collars, present participle collaring, simple past and past participle collared)

collars (present singular third-person)
collaring (participle present)
collared (participle past)
collared (past)

From Middle English coler, borrowed from Old French coler (Modern French collier), from Late Latin collāre, from Latin collāris, from collum (“neck”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (hals, “neck”), Old English heals (“neck”). Compare Spanish cuello (“neck”). More at halse. Doublet of collet.

Britain’s police are especially zealous. Officers spend thousands of hours sifting through potentially offensive posts and arrest 30 people a day. Among those collared were a man who ranted about immigration on Facebook and a couple who criticised their daughter’s primary school.

2025 May 15, “Europe’s free-speech problem”, in The Economist:

(law enforcement, transitive) To arrest.


cuckoo

cuckoo (third-person singular simple present cuckoos, present participle cuckooing, simple past and past participle cuckooed)

cuckoos (present singular third-person)
cuckooing (participle present)
cuckooed (participle past)
cuckooed (past)

From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”).
Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk.
The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism.

She'll have been cuckooed. That'll be the Knezevics. They can't launder fast enough, so what do you do with it? Where do you put it? You hide it in somebody else's place; somebody who han't got a clue what's going on and couldn't do a fat lot about it if they did.

2023, Sally Wainwright, 26:06 from the start, in Happy Valley, season 3, episode 2, spoken by Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire):

(UK, law enforcement) To take over the home of a vulnerable person for the purposes of carrying out organized crime in a concealed way.


pull

pull (third-person singular simple present pulls, present participle pulling, simple past and past participle pulled)

pulls (present singular third-person)
pulling (participle present)
pulled (participle past)
pulled (past)

push

antonym(s) of “apply force to (something) so it comes towards one”

-ʊl (accents with foot–goose merger or full–fool merger)

Verb from Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian (“to pull, draw, tug, pluck off”), of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to West Frisian pûlje (“to shell, husk”), Middle Dutch pullen (“to drink”), Middle Dutch polen (“to peel, strip”), Low German pulen (“to pick, pluck, pull, tear, strip off husks”), Icelandic púla (“to work hard, beat”).
Noun from Middle English pul, pull, pulle, from the verb pullen (“to pull”).

cog

it's not the whistle that pulls the train

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire

The state trooper pulled me for going 60 in a 55 zone.

(transitive, law enforcement) To pull over (a driver or vehicle); to detain for a traffic stop.


TOC

(military, law enforcement) Initialism of tactical operations center.


PS

en-noun

PS (countable and uncountable, plural PSes or PSs)

(law enforcement, Commonwealth) Initialism of police sergeant, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.


EOD

(military, law enforcement) Initialism of explosive ordnance disposal.


cuerpo

cuerpos (plural)
cuelpo (alternative obsolete pronunciation-spelling)

Inherited from Old Spanish cuerpo, from Latin corpus, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱrep-. Doublet of the borrowing corpus.

(military, law enforcement) corps, force (e.g. army corps, police force)


nick

The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”) has not been clearly established.
The verb appears to be derived from the noun, though the available evidence shows that some of the verb senses predate the noun senses. No connection with words in Germanic languages such as Danish nikke (“to nod”), Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”) (modern Dutch knikken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”), Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”) (modern German nicken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”) (modern German knicken (“to bend; to break”), Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”), and Swedish nicka (“to nod”), has been clearly established.

unknown

further etymology is unknown

cog

He was arrested and taken down to Sun Hill nick [police station] to be charged.

He’s just been released from Shadwell nick [prison] after doing ten years for attempted murder.

I recall too that the chats in the back of the [police] van weren't too bad as they dispatched me to the nick.

2014, Russell Brand, “I am an Anarchist-a”, in Revolution, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 81:

Poor Billy, he got seven years and he died in the nick in Liverpool in January 1958. Tragedy, he was such a good man, the best. He had a big funeral back in Clerkenwell. Eva went to it. I was in the nick down south at the time.

2019 June 6, Frankie Fraser, James Morton, Mad Frank's Diary: The Confessions of Britain’s Most Notorious Villain, Random House, →ISBN:

“They say he's a friend of Stuart's who he met in the nick down south. No one in Brisbane knows him.” “Not that anyone would admit to it anyway.”

2021 March 23, William Stokes, The Riddle Exposed:: The Whiskey Firebombing's Link to the McCulkin Family Murders, Interactive Publications, →ISBN, page 80:

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) A police station or prison.


nick

en-verb

nick (third-person singular simple present nicks, present participle nicking, simple past and past participle nicked)

nicks (present singular third-person)
nicking (participle present)
nicked (participle past)
nicked (past)

unknown

further etymology is unknown

The police nicked him climbing over the fence of the house he’d broken into.

Flick knives were pulled on us, and the group demanded we give them all our money, and passports and everything else we had. [...] They [the police] had nicked the knife gang, (who had stayed there, beating the shit out of Nick), and found our passports.

2012, T. Appleby, “Die in Dunkirk or Somewhere in France”, in Life in the Harsh Lane: The Nine Lives, Mishaps, and Adventures of a No-body, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 113:

[...] I was always getting nicked when I was a junkie, so I've had my fair share of skirmishes with the law.

(transitive, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) To arrest.


PPV

en-noun

PPV (countable and uncountable, plural PPVs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of police pursuit vehicle.


PC

PC (countable and uncountable, plural PCs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of police constable, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.

previous conviction
previous conviction#English

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of previous conviction.


PC

Philippine Constabulary
w:Philippine Constabulary

(Philippines, law enforcement, historical) Initialism of Philippine Constabulary.


si

(law enforcement) aphetic form of seksi (“section”)


Mountie

(Canada, informal, law enforcement) A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

(Canada, informal, historical, law enforcement) A member of the North West Mounted Police

(US, informal, law enforcement) A law officer, particularly one patrolling rural highways.


shanghai

en-verb

shanghai (third-person singular simple present shanghais, present participle shanghaiing, simple past and past participle shanghaied or shanghai'd)

shanghais (present singular third-person)
shanghaiing (participle present)
shanghaied (participle past)
shanghaied (past)
shanghai'd (participle past)
shanghai'd (past)
shanghae (alternative)
shangeye (alternative)

1871, from the important Chinese port Shanghai, as a verb with reference to the former practice by some shippers on the West Coast of the United States of press-ganging crews for fishing or shipping in the Pacific Ocean.

強迫 /强迫

to force or trick into work, especially joining a ship

(transitive) To force or trick someone to go somewhere or do something against their will or interest, particularly

(US law enforcement slang) To trick a suspect into entering a jurisdiction in which they can be lawfully arrested.


tap

The noun is derived from Middle English tappe (“hollow device for controlling the flow of liquid from a hole, cock, faucet, spigot; hole through which the liquid flows; the liquid which thus flows”), from Old English tæppa, from Proto-West Germanic *tappō, from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“a plug, tap; peg; tapering stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- (“to lose; to sacrifice”). Doublet of tapa.
The verb is derived from Middle English tappen (“to obtain (liquid, chiefly liquor) from a tap; to obtain and sell (liquor)”), from Old English tæppian (“to provide (a container) with a stopper; to obtain (liquid) from a tap”), and then either:
* from Old English tæppa (see above) + -ian (suffix forming verbs); or
* from Proto-Germanic *tappōną, from *tappô (noun) (see above).
Verb sense 1.3.5 (“to turn over (a playing card or playing piece) to remind players that it has already been used in that round”) alludes to the abilities or resources of the card or piece having been drawn on to the point of temporary exhaustion: see verb sense 1.3.2.

inh

(communication, chiefly law enforcement)

A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications.

salakuuntelulaite

telephone tap

It is true—and undisputed—that, in the weeks between the 2016 election and Trump's inauguration, several top Obama administration officials asked the National Security Agency to reveal the identity of an American citizen overheard on phone taps speaking with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak—a request known as "unmasking."

2020 May 14, Fred Kaplan, “‘Obamagate’ wasn’t even a Scandal the First Time”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-30:

A secret interception of telephone calls or other communications using such a device; also, a recording of such a communication.

подслу́шване

secret interception of telephone calls or other communications using such a device; recording of such a communication


tap

en-verb

tap (third-person singular simple present taps, present participle tapping, simple past and past participle tapped)

taps (present singular third-person)
tapping (participle present)
tapped (participle past)
tapped (past)
tap (infinitive)
tap (first-person present singular)
tapped (first-person past singular)
tap (present second-person singular)
tappest (archaic present second-person singular)
tapped (past second-person singular)
tappedst (archaic past second-person singular)
taps (present singular third-person)
tappeth (archaic present singular third-person)
tapped (past singular third-person)
tap (plural present)
tapped (past plural)
tap (present subjunctive)
tapped (past subjunctive)
tap (imperative present)
tapping (participle present)
tapped (participle past)

точа

to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source)

They can’t tap the phone without a warrant.

mitchener. Why didn't you telephone? / balsquith. They tap the telephone. Every switchboard in London is in their hands, or in those of their young men.

1909, [George] Bernard Shaw, Press Cuttings: A Topical Sketch […], London: Constable and Company, →OCLC, page 3:

On 3 May the Government decided to take over the Telephone Exchange, which had been operated since the beginning of the war mainly by C.N.T. workers; it was alleged that it was badly run and that official calls were being tapped.

1938 April, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XI, in Homage to Catalonia, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC, pages 160–161:

"Oh, there is one thing," the Minister called after Lebel, "how did you know to tap the telephone line of Colonel Saint-Clair's private apartment?" Lebel turned in the doorway and shrugged. "I didn't," he said, "so last night I tapped all your telephones. Good day, gentlemen."

1971 August 6, Frederick Forsyth, “Anatomy of a Kill”, in The Day of the Jackal, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, →ISBN, page 347:

Ever worry about shadowy forces tapping your phone calls and listening in on your private conversations? Well, astronomers have some good news for you: it won't be aliens with their ears (or whatever auditory sensory organs they have evolved) to the speaker getting into your business—unless they've done a lot better than we have at funding radio astronomers.

2023 May 23, “Is E.T. Eavesdropping on Our Phone Calls?”, in Scientific American, New York, N.Y.: Springer Nature America, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-10-03:

(communication, chiefly law enforcement) To connect a listening and/or recording device to (a communication cable or device) in order to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications; also, to secretly listen in on and/or record (a telephone call or other communication).

подслушвам

to connect a listening and/or recording device to (a communication cable or device) in order to listen in secretly on telephone calls or other communications; to secretly listen in on and/or record (a telephone call or other communication)


shadow

en-noun

shadow (countable and uncountable, plural shadows)

From Middle English schadowe, schadewe, schadwe (also schade > shade), from Old English sċeaduwe, sċeadwe, oblique form of sċeadu (“shadow, shade; darkness; protection”), from Proto-West Germanic *skadu, from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (“shade, shadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃- (“darkness”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots scaddow, schaddow (“shadow”), Saterland Frisian Skaad (“shade, shadow”), Dutch schaduw (“shadow”), German Schatten (“shadow, shade”), Norwegian skodde (“fog, mist”), Irish scáth (“shadow”), Ancient Greek σκότος (skótos, “darkness, gloom”) (whence English scoto-).

cog

(UK, law enforcement) A trainee, assigned to work with an experienced officer.


panda

→ Malay: panda

→ Japanese: パンダ (panda)

→ Korean: 판다 (panda)

→ Tagalog: panda

→ Thai: แพนด้า (pɛn-dâa)

Borrowed from French panda, of unclear ultimate origin but probably from the second element of nigálya-pónya, a local name for the red panda recorded in Nepal and Sikkim by Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800 or 1801 – 1894), an ethnologist, naturalist and the British Resident of Nepal, possibly from Nepali निँगाले (nĩgāle, “relating to a certain species of bamboo”) (the adjectival form of निँगालो (nĩgālo), a variant of निङालो (niṅālo, “Drepanostachyum intermedium, a species of bamboo”)) + a regional Tibetan name for the animal (compare regional Tibetan ཕོ་ཉ (pho nya, “messenger”)).
Attributive uses of sense 2 (“giant panda”) generally refer to that animal’s distinctive black and white coat colour.

der

Before the confrontation, the youth sighted a police personnel carrier, two dog patrol vans, a motorway style car, at least two pandas and one unmarked police car.

1975, Darcus Howe, editor, Race Today, London: Race Today Collective, →OCLC, page 279:

(British, law enforcement, colloquial) Ellipsis of panda car (“a black-and-white police car”).


front

csb-noun

front m inan (related adjective frontowi)

(military, law enforcement) front (foremost part of a line of soldiers or policemen)


front

pl-noun

front m inan (related adjective frontowy)

frontowy (adjective)
front (nominative singular)
fronty (nominative plural)
frontu (genitive singular)
frontów (genitive plural)
frontowi (dative singular)
frontom (dative plural)
front (accusative singular)
fronty (accusative plural)
frontem (instrumental singular)
frontami (instrumental plural)
froncie (locative singular)
frontach (locative plural)
froncie (singular vocative)
fronty (plural vocative)

→ Kashubian: front

Internationalism; possibly borrowed from German Front, French front, or English front, ultimately from Latin frōns. First attested in 1656–1688. Compare Silesian frōnt.

ref

“FRONT”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 13.03.2009


job

→ Antillean Creole: djòb

→ Brazilian Portuguese: job

→ Cantonese: job

→ Danish: job

→ Dutch: job

→ French: job

→ German: Job

→ Italian: job

→ Louisiana Creole: djòb

→ Norwegian Bokmål: jobb

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: jobb

→ Romanian: job

→ Swedish: jobb

From the phrase jobbe of work (“piece of work”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of Middle English gobbe (“mass, lump”); or perhaps related to Middle English jobben (“to jab, thrust, peck”), or Middle English choppe (“piece, bargain”). More at gob, jab, chop.

der

“He was ex-job, Beavis. Detective sergeant out of County, Banbury, retired in ‘59.”

2018 February 11, Colin Dexter, Russell Lewis, 14:17 from the start, in Endeavour(Cartouche), season 5, episode 2 (TV series), spoken by DS Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans):

But there it was on the screen: The personal details of his old colleague from Kennington station in the late nineties.[…]She’s job. We used to work together.

2018 July 24, Chris Merritt, Last Witness:A Gripping Crime Thriller You Won’t Be Able To Put Down:

“I’m job, D.S Townsend. I have to report a missing person.”

2022 February 9, Daragh Carville, Richard Clark, Furquan Akhtar, 01:33 from the start, in The Bay, season 3, episode 5, spoken by D.S Jenn Townsend (Marsha Thomason):

The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English

w:A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English

(UK, slang, law enforcement) The police as a profession, act of policing, or an individual police officer.


IP

en-noun

IP (countable and uncountable, plural IPs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of injured party.


ticket

→ Assamese: টিকট (tikot)

desc

→ Bengali: টিকিট (ṭikiṭ), টিকট (ṭikoṭ), টিকেট (ṭikeṭ) — anglicized pronunciation

→ Catalan: tiquet

→ Dhivehi: ޓިކެޓް (ṭikeṭ)

→ Dutch: ticket
→ Indonesian: tiket

→ French: ticket

→ German: Ticket

→ Hindustani:

Hindi: टिकट (ṭikaṭ)

Urdu: ٹکٹ (ṭikaṭ)

→ Irish: ticéad

→ Italian: ticket

→ Japanese: チケット (chiketto)

→ Korean: 티켓 (tiket)

→ Malay: tiket

→ Maori: tīketi

→ Marathi: तिकीट (tikīṭ)

→ Nepali: टिकट (ṭikaṭ)

→ Odia: ଟିକଟ (ṭikaṭa)

→ Portuguese: tíquete, ticket (Brazil)

→ Scottish Gaelic: tiogaid

→ Serbo-Croatian: тикет (tiket)

→ Spanish: ticket, tique, tiquete

→ Tagalog: tiket

→ Tamil: டிக்கட்டு (ṭikkaṭṭu)

→ Tamil: டிக்கட்டு (ṭikkaṭṭu)

→ Tibetan: ཏི་ཀ་སི (ti ka si, “postage stamp”)

→ Tok Pisin: tiket

From Middle English ticket, from Middle French etiquet m, estiquet m, and etiquette f, estiquette f (“a bill, note, label, ticket”), from Old French estechier, estichier, estequier (“to attach, stick”), (compare Picard estiquier (“to stick, pierce”)), from Frankish *stikkjan, *stekan (“to stick, pierce, sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stikaną, *stikōną, *staikijaną (“to be sharp, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp, to stab”). Doublet of etiquette. More at stick.

der

Ticket in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

[…] I need a ticket, Bobby.” Agnor knew a ticket meant a search warrant.

1999, Doug Most, Always in Our Hearts, page 148:


detail

en-noun

detail (countable and uncountable, plural details)

Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”).

Frequently members of the small police detail dispatched to the scene joined in.

2022, Gary Gerstle, chapter 7, in The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order […] , New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, Part II. The Neoliberal Order, 1970–2020:

(military, law enforcement) A temporary unit or assignment.


detail

en-verb

detail (third-person singular simple present details, present participle detailing, simple past and past participle detailed)

details (present singular third-person)
detailing (participle present)
detailed (participle past)
detailed (past)

Two years after England’s World Cup victory, Stiles was at Wembley again to help Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup final. Again Eusébio was one of his opponents, playing for Benfica, and again Stiles was detailed to keep him quiet. […]

2020 October 30, Brian Glanville, “Nobby Stiles obituary”, in The Guardian:

(transitive, military, law enforcement) To assign to a particular task.

komentaa

military: to assign to a particular task


drop

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb- (“to crumble, grind”).

nb...

dropan, droupe, (Northern England) droipe

afval

small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension

piisk

very small quantity of liquid, or of anything

piisk

that which hangs or resembles a liquid globule

langemine

decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate

afgrond

As the prisoners prepared to leave, they had seen Dan and Steve standing together in the breezeway, ‘for all the world like two condemned prisoners on the drop’.

2003, Ian Jones, Ned Kelly: A Short Life, revised edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Hachette Australia, published 2010, →ISBN:

Crook: "I'll find the killers for you, I swear." / Cop: "So why didn't you?" / Crook: "I'm scared of 'em." / Cop: "More than the drop?" / Crook: "Aye. Maybe."

2015 November 25, Benjamin Ross, Barry Langford, “All the Lost Children” (26:40 from the start), in The Frankenstein Chronicles, season 1, episode 3:

(law enforcement) A trapdoor (“hinged platform”) on a gallows; a gallows itself.

She. Have you ever seen a man hanged?
 He. Yes. Once.
 She. What was it for?
 He. Murder, of course.
 She. Murder. Is that so great a sin after all? I wonder how he felt before the drop fell.

1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Hill of Illusion”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 84:

[A]ll those present shared the all-important political connections required to get a ticket to the execution. News reporters, doctors, and members of the juries had prime spots right by the platform, so that they could see the drop and record the time of death.

2011, Elizabeth Dale, “Justice is Served”, in The Chicago Trunk Murder: Law and Justice at the Turn of the Century, DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, →ISBN, page 74:

An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).

(law enforcement, informal) Preceded by the: execution by hanging.

The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.

(law enforcement) The distance that a person drops when being executed by hanging.


DAC

en-noun

DAC (countable and uncountable, plural DACs)

deputy assistant commissioner
deputy assistant commissioner#English

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of deputy assistant commissioner, a police rank used in London's Metropolitan Police.


CRT

CRT (countable and uncountable, plural CRTs)

crisis response team
crisis response team#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of crisis response team.


IO

IO (countable and uncountable, plural IOs)

(Singapore, law enforcement) Initialism of investigation officer.


OCPD

Lahad Datu OCPD, ACP Hamzah Ahmad said both suspects, believed to be Malaysian nationals aged 46 and 47, were detained at 2pm after police received information from the public on the drug trafficking activities at a car parking area in the town centre.

2015 March 29, “Two men detained, drugs worth RM250k seized”, in New Straits Times:

The remand for nine individuals, including two officers-in-charge of police districts (OCPD) has been extended by five days […]

2017 May 22, “Remand for Melaka cops extended over protection money racket probe”, in Malay Mail:

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin said the OCPDs would act as ground commanders to coordinate the operation, which will be conducted jointly with other enforcement agencies.

2021 July 1, “OCPDs to lead nationwide SOP crackdown”, in Free Malaysia Today:

(Malaysia, law enforcement) Initialism of Officer in Charge of the Police District.


apprehend

en-verb

apprehend (third-person singular simple present apprehends, present participle apprehending, simple past and past participle apprehended)

apprehends (present singular third-person)
apprehending (participle present)
apprehended (participle past)
apprehended (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-apprehend.wav

From Late Middle English apprehenden (“to grasp, take hold of; to comprehend; to learn”), from Old French apprehender (modern French appréhender (“to apprehend; to catch; to dread”)), from Latin apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infinitive of apprehendō, adprehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, take; to apprehend, arrest; to comprehend, understand; to embrace, include; to take possession of, obtain, secure”), from ap-, ad- (prefix meaning ‘to’) + prehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, snatch, take; to accost; to catch in the act, take by surprise; (figuratively, rare) of the mind: to apprehend, comprehend, grasp”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to hold, seize, take; to find”)).

der

Officers apprehended the suspect two streets away from the bank.

[…] Paul before his converſion entred into their Synagogues at Damaſcus, to apprehend Chriſtians, men and women, and to carry them bound to Jeruſalem, by Commiſſion from the High Prieſt.

1651, Thomas Hobbes, “Of Power Ecclesiasticall”, in Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill, London: […] [William Wilson] for Andrew Crooke, […], →OCLC, 3rd part (Of a Christian Common-wealth), page 276:

[A] juſtice of the peace cannot iſſue a warrant to apprehend a felon upon bare ſuſpicion; no, not even till an indictment be actually found: and the contrary practice is by others held to be grounded rather upon connivance, than the expreſs rule of law; though now by long cuſtom eſtabliſhed.

1769, William Blackstone, “Of Arrests”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book IV (Of Public Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 287:

He soon returned to the Lowlands, and stayed there till he learned that a considerable body of troops had been sent to apprehend him.

1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XIII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 328:

(law enforcement) To seize or take (a person) by legal process; to arrest.

арышто́ўваць

to seize or take (a person) by legal process — see also arrest


PSP

Police Service of Pakistan
w:Police Service of Pakistan

(Pakistan, law enforcement) Abbreviation of Police Service of Pakistan.


PDB

Polis Diraja Brunei
w:ms:Polis Diraja Brunei

(Brunei, law enforcement) initialism of Polis Diraja Brunei (“Royal Brunei Police Force”)


vice

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English vice, from Old French vice, from Latin vitium (“fault or blemish”). Displaced native Old English unþēaw.

(law enforcement, slang) Clipping of vice squad.


perp

"We have the perp in custody," the policeman said.

Got himself fired for pulling a sword on an acknowledged perp. Slid it right through the fabric of the perp’s shirt, gliding the flat of the blade along the base of his neck, and pinned him to a warped and bubbled expanse of vinyl siding on the wall of the house that the perp was trying to break into.

1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 6:


solve

From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō.

The solve is this, that thou dost common grow.

1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 69”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

KEVIN: I decided a long time ago that just because I love Raymond, doesn't mean I have to love the people he works with. Good solve, Detective.

2014 February 4, The Party, Gil Ozeri and Gabe Liedman (writers), Michael Engler (director), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 1, episode 16

“Hey, Mr. Quilt Bandit.”
 Ian smiled. “Nice solve, Nancy Drew.”

2017, Elodia Strain, The Dating Experiment, →ISBN:

(now rare, chiefly law enforcement) A solution; an explanation.


charge

en-verb

charge (third-person singular simple present charges, present participle charging, simple past and past participle charged)

charges (present singular third-person)
charging (participle present)
charged (participle past)
charged (past)

desc

→ Cantonese: 叉廚 /叉厨 (caa¹ cyu⁴), 叉 (caa¹)

→ Dutch: chargen

→ Kashubian: czardżowac (United States)

→ Malay: caj, cas

→ Sranan Tongo: tyars

→ Swahili: chaji

From Middle English chargen, from Old French chargier, from Late Latin carricō (“to load”), from Latin carrus (“a car, wagon”); see car. Doublet of cargo.

yükləmək

to place a burden upon, to assign a duty

yükləmək

to load equipment with material required for its use

I'm charging you with assault and battery.

(transitive, criminal law, law enforcement) To formally accuse (a person) of a crime.

اِتَّهَمَ

criminal law, law enforcement: to formally accuse of a crime


rap

From RAP (“record of arrest and prosecution”).

(US, law enforcement) Acronym of record of arrest and prosecution.


shield

From Middle English scheld, shelde, from Old English scield (“shield”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeldu, from Proto-Germanic *skelduz (“shield”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“cut, split”). Cognate with West Frisian skyld, Dutch schild (“shield”), German Schild (“shield”), Danish skjold (“shield”), Icelandic skjöldur (“shield”) and Faroese skjøldur (“shield”).
Compare Latin scūtum (“shield”), Irish sciath (“shield”), Latgalian škīda (“shield”), Lithuanian skydas (“shield”), Russian щит (ščit, “shield”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, protect”), *skey- (“to cut, split”).

noncog

The chief put something in his hand and Bosch looked down to see the gold detective's shield.

2005, Michael Connelly, The closers: a novel:

A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos.

(colloquial, law enforcement) A police badge.


prior

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin prior (“earlier, former, previous, prior; in front; (figurative) better, superior”), from Proto-Italic *priōs (“earlier, previous”, literally “more before”), ultimately from *pri (“before”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pró (“leading to, toward”) and its etymon *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-jōs (suffix forming comparative adjectives). Doublet of before, fore, and former.
The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

der

априорное распределение вероятностей

And a little later we get the routine report on his prints from Washington, and he's got a prior back in Indiana, attempted hold-up six years ago.

1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1966, →OCLC, page 47:

(Canada, US, law enforcement, chiefly in the plural) A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's criminal record.

досие

previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record


TWOC

en-noun

TWOC (countable and uncountable, plural TWOCs)

Initialism of "taken (or taking) without owner's consent". From section 12 of the United Kingdom's Theft Act 1968, which states 'a person shall be guilty of an offence if, without having the consent of the owner or other lawful authority, he takes any conveyance for his own or another’s use or, knowing that any conveyance has been taken without such authority, drives it or allows himself to be carried in or on it'.

[…] women making arrests for aggravated burglary represent 22 per cent of the total and for aggravated TWOCs, 23 per cent […]

2002, Louise Westmarland, Gender and Policing, Routledge, →ISBN:

[…] the reported victimisation rate for TWOC and attempted TWOC (six out of 28 available vehicles victimised, and […])

2010, Anthony Bottoms, Julian Roberts, Hearing the Victim: Adversarial Justice, Crime Victims and the State, Routledge, →ISBN, page 121:

(British, law enforcement) The crime of taking a car without the consent of the owner.

未獲授權而取用運輸工具 /未获授权而取用运输工具

the crime of taking without the consent of the owner

mei6 wok6 sau6 kyun4 ji4 ceoi2 jung6 wan6 syu1 gung1 geoi6


bolo

(US law enforcement) A request for law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for a suspect.


flake

From Middle English flake (“a flake of snow”), from Old English flacca and/or Old Norse flak (“loose or torn piece”) (compare Old Norse flakna (“to flake or chip”)), from Proto-Germanic *flaką (“something flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”). Cognate with Norwegian flak (“slice, sliver”, literally “piece torn off”), Swedish flak (“a thin slice”), Danish flage (“flake”), German Flocke (“flake”), Dutch vlak (“smooth surface, plain”) and vlok (“flake”), as well as with Latin plaga (“flat surface, district, region”) and Welsh llech (“slate, tablet”). Doublet of plage.

cog

When police decided to score gamblers, they would most often flake people with gambling slips, then demand $25 or $50 for not arresting them. Other times, they would simply threaten a flake and demand money.

1973, Knapp Commission, New York, The Knapp Commission Report on Police Corruption, page 83:

(US, law enforcement, slang) A corrupt arrest, e.g. to extort money for release or merely to fulfil a quota.


flake

en-verb

flake (third-person singular simple present flakes, present participle flaking, simple past and past participle flaked)

flakes (present singular third-person)
flaking (participle present)
flaked (participle past)
flaked (past)

(US, law enforcement, slang) To plant evidence to facilitate a corrupt arrest.


incapacitation

en-noun

incapacitation (countable and uncountable, plural incapacitations)

ubezwłasnowolnienie

The act of incapacitating or the state of being incapacitated

Order-maintenance proponents affirmatively promote youth curfews, anti-gang loitering ordinances, and order-maintenance crackdowns as milder alternatives to the theory of incapacitation and increased incarceration.

2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, Illusion of Order:

The act of incapacitating or state of being incapacitated; incapacity; disqualification.

(law enforcement) The imprisonment of a would-be offender, which prevents them from offending.


interpellation

fr-noun

interpellation f (plural interpellations)

(law enforcement) (an instance of) questioning


ladder

en-verb

ladder (third-person singular simple present ladders, present participle laddering, simple past and past participle laddered)

ladders (present singular third-person)
laddering (participle present)
laddered (participle past)
laddered (past)
ledder (alternative)

From Middle English ladder, laddre, from Old English hlǣder, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaidriju, from Proto-Germanic *hlaidrijō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlóydʰrom, from *ḱley- (“to lean”).
Compare Scots ledder, North Frisian ladder, Saterland Frisian Laadere, West Frisian ljedder, Dutch ladder, leer, German Leiter); also Old Irish clithar (“hedge”), Umbrian 𐌊𐌋𐌄𐌈𐌓𐌀𐌌 (kleθram, “stretcher”)). See lean, which is related to lid.
Further cognates include Ashkun istrī, Kamkata-viri c̣ik, Prasuni čik, čix, Waigali c̣iř, Sanskrit श्रिति (śrití).

offences to be taken into consideration
offence to be taken into consideration

(UK, law enforcement, of a police officer) To corruptly coerce a convicted offender to admit to offences to be taken into consideration which they do not actually believe they committed, as a way to artificially increase the rate of solved crimes.


raid

raids (plural)
rade (alternative Scotland)

From Scots raid, from Northern Middle English rade, from Old English rād (“a riding, an expedition on horseback, road”), whence also the inherited English road (“way, street”). The earlier senses of “a riding, expedition, raid” fell into disuse in Early Modern English, but were revived in the northern form raid by Walter Scott in the early 19th century. The use for a swift police operation appears in the later 19th century and may perhaps have been influenced by French razzia (similar in both original meaning and sound).

der

a police raid of a narcotics factory

a raid of contractors on the public treasury

For Lothian and Borders Police, the early-morning raid had come at the end one of biggest investigations carried out by the force, which had originally presented a dossier of evidence on the murder of Jodi Jones to the Edinburgh procurator-fiscal, William Gallagher, on 25 November last year.

2004 April 15, “Morning swoop in hunt for Jodi's killer”, in The Scotsman:

(law enforcement) An attack or invasion for the purpose of making arrests, seizing property, or plundering.

غَارَة

attack for the purpose of making arrests, seizing property, or plundering


police

en-noun

police pl (normally plural, singular police)

Southern US, African-American Vernacular, Indic

From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy and polity.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction across most of Chicago but focuses on the unincorporated area and tasks like prisoner transport, leaving the rest to the Chicago Police Department.

(law enforcement) A public agency charged with enforcing laws and maintaining public order, usually being granted special privileges to do so, particularly

(Canada, US and historical) A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement.

Scotland Yard is, technically speaking, only the metropolitan police for Greater London but because of their importance they have special jurisdiction for some crimes across the United Kingdom.

(UK) A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory.

(Australia, New Zealand) Any of the formally enacted law enforcement agencies at various levels of government.

There are nine Principles of Police:
...
7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen, in the interests of community welfare and existence.

1943, Charles Reith, British Police and the Democratic Ideal, pp. 3–4

‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?

1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

1990 Sept. 13, David Black & al., "Prescription for Death", Law & Order, 00:00:01

Citadel Security is a volunteer police service answering to the Citadel Council. The 200,000 constables of C-Sec are responsible for maintaining public order in the densely populated Citadel.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel Station: Citadel Security Services (C-Sec) Codex entry:

The rally on Sunday in Victoria Park, in the Causeway Bay district, was authorized in advance by the police. But protesters were also expected to begin marching later in the day from Sham Shui Po, a working-class neighborhood on the Kowloon peninsula, across the harbor from North Point. The police rejected their application for a permit.

2019 August 11, Mike Ives, “Hong Kong Protesters Gather Amid Fears of Mob Violence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-08-11:

Call the police!

There’s only one police in this town.

2012 July 16, Jonathan, Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises, spoken by Peter Foley (Matthew Modine), Warner Bros. Pictures:


ASBO

ASBOs (plural)
Asbo (alternative)
asbo (alternative)

(British, law enforcement) Anti-Social Behaviour Order


ASBO

en-verb

ASBO (third-person singular simple present ASBOs, present participle ASBOing, simple past and past participle ASBOed)

ASBOs (present singular third-person)
ASBOing (participle present)
ASBOed (participle past)
ASBOed (past)
Asbo (alternative)
asbo (alternative)

Yes he will probably end up in the criminal justice system in a few years time - but if we ASBO him now he's going to end up there an awful lot quicker because he will breach it.

2005, Andrew Millie, Anti-Social Behaviour Strategies: Finding a Balance, page 31:

"Shut up, both of you. I've got the police here. You'll get asboed," Sally shouted

2008, Harry James, Consequences?, page 65:

The redemptive storyline reminded me of the importance, in my own practice, of continuing to learn from the understanding of others' experiences and interactions in negotiating the new penal landscape of "ASBOing", portrayed so well in Rhodes' novel.

2008, Peter Squires, ASBO Nation: The Criminalisation of Nuisance, page 151:

(British, law enforcement, transitive) To issue an Anti-Social Behaviour Order to.


RIP

RIPs (plural)
R.I.P. (alternative)
rip (alternative)

[…] recommended as punishment a 55-day RIP (reduction in pay) but was overruled by higher authorities […]

1972, New York Magazine, volume 5, number 5, page 32:

He admitted to his indiscretion and accepted a five-day RIP (reduction in pay). What the hell is going on? I wondered. We let a captain with possible O.C. connections off the hook, but we bust a patrolman for having a drink!

1991, Vincent Murano, William Hoffer, Cop Hunter, page 73:

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of reduction in pay.


policeman

→ French: policeman

→ Maori: pirihimana

→ Welsh: plismon

The policeman who arrests the "Red" does not understand the theories the "Red" is preaching; if he did, his own position as bodyguard of the monied class might seem less pleasant to him.

1941, George Orwell, The Lion and the Unicorn, Pt. I:

Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.

1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

Still agitated, she watched resentfully as two traffic policemen remounted their motorcycles.

2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 378:

(law enforcement) A police officer, usually a male.


policewoman

(law enforcement) A female police officer.


rabbi

en-noun

rabbi (plural rabbis or (archaic) rabbies or rabbanim or rabbanin or rabbonim or rabbonin)

rabbis (plural)
rabbies (archaic plural)
rabbanim (plural)
rabbanin (plural)
rabbonim (plural)
rabbonin (plural)
rabbin (alternative dated)
rabboni (alternative)

From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master”) + ־ִי (-í, “my”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebbe and related to rav.

Hoskins? He doesn't have a better rabbi in the department than that?

2006 September 17, David Mills, “Soft Eyes”, in The Wire, season 4, episode 2, spoken by Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman):

If I'm ever gonna make Captain, I need a good mentor. I need my rabbi.

2013 September 17, Dan Goor, Michael Schur, “Pilot”, in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero):

(law enforcement, slang) A senior officer who acts as a mentor.


inspector

inspectors (plural)
inspectour (alternative obsolete rare)

→ Japanese: インスペクター (insupekutā)

Borrowed from Latin īnspector, from īnspiciō, equivalent to inspect + -or.

(law enforcement) A police officer ranking below superintendent.


CCG

(Canada, nautical, law enforcement) Initialism of Canadian Coast Guard.


tango

From translingual Tango (representing the letter T), from English tango (see above).

Tango down!

The two tangoes running toward the carnage at the prison door dropped simultaneously, dead in their tracks.

2005, Charles W. Sasser, Detachment Delta: Operation Aces Wild, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 370:

The sharp crack of breaking glass preceded Emily's calm voice. "One tango dead and Marcus is down, John."

2017, Beth Rhodes, Strike Zone, →ISBN, page 210:

(US, law enforcement, military slang) A target; an enemy.


MDC

Metropolitan Detention Center
w:Metropolitan Detention Center

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of Metropolitan Detention Center.


nominal

PIE word
 *h₁nómn̥
From the Middle English nominalle (“of nouns”), borrowed from Latin nōminālis (“of names”), from nōmen (“name”).

(UK, police jargon) A person listed in the Police National Computer database as having been convicted, cautioned or recently arrested.


uniform

Borrowed from Middle French uniforme, from Latin uniformis.

Skeletor held the gun against Speedo’s head, held Speedo between himself and the cops who stood, motionless and futile, where they’d stopped. Robinson, Lindfors, Carter, three uniforms and I watched helpless as Skeletor, dragging Speedy with him, inched out the gate, started backing down the hill.

1996, S. J. Rozan, Concourse, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 265:

Four men flew out of it, three uniforms and one in what appeared to be an English riding outfit—boots, whip, the whole nine yards. […] He called out, “I’m the superintendent of police.”

2001, Christine Wiltz, The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld, Da Capo Press, →ISBN, page 113:

Eyes to the front now and there was the body, a lump of black and brown. Moon counted three uniforms and a photographer, the medical examiner and his assistant.

2004, Will Christopher Baer, Penny Dreadful, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, →ISBN, page 81:

(law enforcement) A uniformed police officer (as opposed to a detective).


coop

en-verb

coop (third-person singular simple present coops, present participle cooping, simple past and past participle cooped)

coops (present singular third-person)
cooping (participle present)
cooped (participle past)
cooped (past)

Dutch Bantam
Marshall, Texas
Oxford English Dictionary
coop

From Middle English cǒupe, cupe, from Old English cȳpe (“basket, cask”) or possibly from Middle Dutch cûpe (compare modern Dutch kuip, Saterland Frisian kupe, Middle Low German kûpe), from Old Saxon *kûpa, côpa (“cask”) (compare Middle Low German kôpe, Old High German chôfa, chuofa, Middle High German kuofe, modern regional German Kufe f (“cask”)), probably from Latin cūpa, Medieval Latin cōpa (“cask”) (thus a doublet of coupe, cup, and keeve). However, the Oxford English Dictionary notes that if the word is from Latin, “it is difficult to account for the umlaut in Old English cýpe”.

COOPING. The term cooping refers to police officers sleeping on duty. […] One critic of two-man squad cars suggests that this is a recipe for cooping, since one officer can drive while the other sleeps.

2001, Mitchel P. Roth, Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, →ISBN, pages 76–77:

One of his first, and most groundbreaking, stories was about "cooping," police slang for sleeping on duty. It was sparked when Burnham interviewed Jim Curran, then a New York City policeman, who referred to someone being "in the coop," Burnham recalled. […] Burnham heard that every day thousands upon thousands of New York police supposedly working the night shift were actually sleeping, stashed in coops all over the city, only to be awakened if a crime was discovered. […] Cooping was a natural result and a dramatic example of a city agency misusing its resources.

2010, Bill Kovach, Tom Rosenstiel, Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury USA, →ISBN, page 155:

The majority of policemen, […] act so as to save the public from harm, i.e., they shun their duties. Instead of being up and about, interfering with the rights of the people, many policemen choose the honorable way out—they coop. Cooping (sleeping in some out-of-the-way place while on duty) was a situation which enraged [Frank] Serpico. In the finest tradition of the busybody who insists on running other people's lives, Serpico insisted on being out on the streets at all hours, stopping a prostitute here, ambushing a gambler there, harassing drug merchants everywhere.

2012, Walter Block, Defending the Undefendable: The Pimp, Prostitute, Scab, Slumlord, Libeler, Moneylender, and Other Scapegoats in the Rogue's Gallery of American Society, Baltimore, Md.: Laissez Faire Books, →ISBN:

This cynicism may lead to an increased number of job actions and deviance, such as the "blue flu" or "cooping."

2012, Jeffrey Ian Ross, Policing Issues: Challenges and Controversies, Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning, →ISBN, page 66:

Cooping-prone areas are those locations where officers tend to engage in non-police activities that interrupt patrols in an unauthorized manner. A variety of such locations can be surmised, such as spending time at home or other locations not in the officer's area of responsibility while on duty. The department provided the example of officers parking in desolate areas to sleep.

2015, Steven V. Gilbert, Barbara A. Gilbert, Police Corruption in the NYPD: From Knapp to Mollen, Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, →ISBN, pages 116–117:

(intransitive, law enforcement, slang) Of a police officer: to sleep or relax while on duty.


trespass

trespass (third-person singular simple present trespasses, present participle trespassing, simple past and past participle trespassed)

trespasses (present singular third-person)
trespassing (participle present)
trespassed (participle past)
trespassed (past)

From Middle English trespassen, borrowed from Old French trespasser (“to go across or over, transgress”), from tres- (“across, over”) + passer (“to pass”).

der

The dean trespassed the streaker from his university.

"You were trespassing on private property when you were taking pictures," he said, with no hint of courtesy. "I must trespass you. Come with me."

1996 April 16, Glenn Campbell, “Another Business Office Found”, in The Groom Lake Desert Rat, number 35, Rachel, NV, archived from the original on 1998-02-23:

The entire police force has in effect been trespassed from a Wellington property to stop officers checking whether a heavy-sleeping offender is complying with an overnight bail curfew.

2012 June 21, Greg O'Connor, “Criminal trespasses police officers”, in Stuff:

(transitive, law enforcement) To decree that a person or group of people shall be arrested for trespassing if they return to someone else's property.


homicide

en-noun

homicide (countable and uncountable, plural homicides)

homicides (plural)
hominicide (alternative)

From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”).

“She was a hippie kid. How hard would you work a case like that?”
“As hard as anyone else,” said Goddard. There was an irritated note in his voice. “She was a homicide. She got what every homicide investigation gets.”

We don't even know the woman was a homicide. Didn't they say it was possible they both jumped?

2003, Ellen Perry Berkeley, Keith's People, →ISBN, page 58:

The medical examiner was behind on autopsies and cranky, so we didn't even know if the old guy in the pool was a homicide.

2004, Jon Talton, Dry Heat, →ISBN, page 40:

(countable, US, police jargon) A victim of homicide; a person who has been unlawfully killed by someone else.


smurf

Peyo
The Smurfs
fr:Les Schtroumpfs
nl:De Smurfen

Borrowed from Dutch smurf (via the Belgian comic De Smurfen, a translation of French Les Schtroumpfs), from French schtroumpf, a word that was created by Peyo based on German Strumpf (literally “stocking, sock”), either simply because it sounds funny to the French ear or based on a regional German use for “idiot”. Armand van Raalte was an employee for the Belgian publisher of Peyo's stories who felt that schtroumpf would not have the same effect in Dutch, so he tried to find a simple word that could be used both as a noun and a verb. The result was smurf. In other languages, the term was similarly altered; compare the translations below.

der

Each smurf goes to different banks and purchases cashier's checks in denominations of less than $ 10,000, thus bypassing the reporting requirement.

1998, Michael D. Lyman, Gary W. Potter, Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts, and Control, page 202:

Once the checks and money orders were purchased, the smurfs delivered them to Barrera, who arranged deposits of multiple checks and money orders into bank accounts that he controlled for further transfer to accounts in Panama, Colombia, and elsewhere.

2001, Robert E. Grosse, Drugs and Money: Laundering Latin America's Cocaine Dollars, page 73:

The local cooks would get some smurfs to buy boxes of Sudafed at all the drugstores in a hundred-mile radius, then pay them off in product.

2020, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts, page 22:

(law enforcement, drugs, slang) One member of a team, each of whom acquires a small amount of money or ingredients for manufacturing drugs, keeping the transactions too small in order to not raise suspicion.


smurf

en-verb

smurf (third-person singular simple present smurfs, present participle smurfing, simple past and past participle smurfed)

smurfs (present singular third-person)
smurfing (participle present)
smurfed (participle past)
smurfed (past)

(law enforcement, banking) To split a large financial transaction into smaller ones so as to avoid scrutiny; to carry out structuring.


CP

en-noun

CP (countable and uncountable, plural CPs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of containment perimeter.


incapacitate

en-verb

incapacitate (third-person singular simple present incapacitates, present participle incapacitating, simple past and past participle incapacitated)

incapacitates (present singular third-person)
incapacitating (participle present)
incapacitated (participle past)
incapacitated (past)

Mid-17th century, from incapacity + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French incapaciter.

Wilson's principal motivation for situation-oriented policies was the desire to change the real world by proposing politically practicable policies. And his principle prescription was to incapacitate a larger number of habitual offenders.

2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, Illusion of Order:

To make someone or something incapable of doing something; to disable.

(law enforcement) To imprison a potential offender and thereby prevent them from offending.

令癱瘓 /令瘫痪

to put out of action, to render ineffective


SAS

(law enforcement) abbreviation of section des agressions sexuelles (“sexual assault squad”)


PNR

National Revolutionary Police Force
w:National Revolutionary Police Force

(law enforcement) Initialism of National Revolutionary Police Force.


SWAT

en-noun

SWAT (countable and uncountable, plural SWATs)

(chiefly US, law enforcement) Acronym of special weapons and tactics, the area of expertise of police officers trained and equipped to neutralize armed or entrenched criminals.

special weapons and tactics

"This situation is out of control. We need a SWAT," the policeman said.

(chiefly US, law enforcement) A SWAT team.


warrant officer

warrant officer (plural warrant officers)

The bailiff does not like to see himself as the brutal oppressor of the poor or as the agent of malicious creditors... This distinction between warrant officer and process server is not at all dissimilar to the gulf that divides the law officer and the peace officer in the police force... Warrant officers execute warrants whilst process servers distribute court summonses and cajole debtors.

1973, Paul Rock, Making People Pay, page 162:

(law enforcement) An officer assigned to execute warrants and other writs.


pullover

→ Bulgarian: пуловер (pulover)

→ Catalan: pul·lòver

→ Danish: pullover

→ Esperanto: pulovero

→ French: pull-over

→ Gulf Arabic: بلوڤر (blōvar)

→ German: Pullover

→ Hungarian: pulóver

→ Greek: πουλόβερ (poulóver)

→ Italian: pullover

→ Japanese: プルオーバー (puruōbā)

→ Georgian: პულოვერი (ṗuloveri)

→ Korean: 풀오버 (purobeo)

→ Polish: pulower

→ Portuguese: pulôver

→ Russian: пуло́вер (pulóver)

→ Sicilian: pullover

→ Spanish: pulóver

→ Swedish: pullover

I followed my training in the academy regarding vehicle pullovers.

2010, D. E. Gray, The Warrior in Me, page 23:

(chiefly law enforcement) An instance of a vehicle being pulled over.


IR

IR (countable and uncountable, plural IRs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of incident report.


backup

→ Danish: backup

→ Italian: backup

→ Japanese: バックアップ (bakkuappu)

→ Korean: 백업 (baegeop)

→ Portuguese: backup, becape

→ Swedish: backup

He's got a gun! You'd better send for backup.

Shaman: My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?
Shepard: How is a candidate tested if he brings backup on his Rite of Passage?
Shaman: Not every krogan can be the strongest warrior, but each must inspire his peers to battle at his side.
Shaman: If the ones who know you best can find nothing worthy in you, you should wander the wastes and die alone before you weaken my clan.

2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka:


cruiser

(US, law enforcement) A police patrol vehicle.


sheepdog

sheepdogs (plural)
sheep dog (alternative)

(US, slang, law enforcement) A police officer.


WPC

woman police constable
woman police constable#English

(UK, law enforcement, historical) Initialism of woman police constable, a former police rank.


DPC

DPC (countable and uncountable, plural DPCs)

PW4 (DPC 13900) was at the checkline junction Luard Road near Jaffe Road. They were there to prevent protesters rushing in to block the road from Luard Road.

Paragraph 67, HKSAR v Tong Ying Kit/Reasons for Verdict ([2021] HKCFI 2200)

(Hong Kong, law enforcement) Initialism of detective police constable.

(India, law enforcement) Initialism of District Police Chief A police officer in charge of a police district in the Kerala State Police.


dit

(law enforcement) clipping of direktorat (“directorate”)


CID

(British, law enforcement, initialism) Scotland Yard Criminal Investigation Department

(US, military, law enforcement, initialism) U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command

(US, military, law enforcement, initialism) Former name of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigation Division).


airship

airships (plural)
air-ship (alternative)
air ship (alternative)

From air + ship.
* (jocular British sense): is in imitation of worship "form of address for magistrates et al., possibly also an oblique reference to Colonel Blimp.

(US, law enforcement, aviation) A police air unit, a police helicopter.


PSNI

Byrne was already facing pressure after a major data breach from the PSNI last month. Personal data of all serving members of the PSNI was mistakenly published in response to a freedom of information request.

2023 September 4, Matthew Weaver, Lisa O'Carroll, “Northern Ireland police chief quits after series of controversies”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Police Service of Northern Ireland
w:Police Service of Northern Ireland

(law enforcement, Northern Ireland) Initialism of Police Service of Northern Ireland, created in 2001 as a successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).


blotter

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-blotter.wav

(law enforcement) A daily register of arrests and other events in a police station.

журна́л

регистра́ции приво́дов в полице́йском уча́стке


blotter

Unadapted borrowing from English blotter.


skell

* Perhaps from skeleton, describing the often skeletal appearance of drug users.
* Alternatively, from skellum or skelder ("to beg in the streets"). Used by Ben Jonson, 1599.
* In the sense of a suspicious person, popularized by the American TV police drama NYPD Blue.

(slang, US, New York, police jargon) A male suspicious person or crime suspect, especially a street person such as a drug dealer, pimp or panhandler.


patrol

en-noun

patrol (countable and uncountable, plural patrols)

From French patrouille, from Old French patrouille, patouille (“a night-watch”, literally “a tramping about”), from patrouiller, patouiller, patoiller (“to paddle or pudder in water, dabble with the feet, begrime, besmear”), from patte, pate (“paw, foot of an animal”), from Vulgar Latin *patta (“paw, foot”), from Frankish *patta (“paw, sole of the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *paþjaną, *paþōną (“to walk, tread, go, step, pace”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pent-, *(s)pat- (“path; to walk”), a variant of Proto-Indo-European *pent-, *pat- (“path; to go”); see find. Cognate with Dutch pad, patte (“paw”), Low German pedden (“to step, tread”), German patschen (“to splash, smack, dabble, waddle”), German Patsche (“a swatter, beater, paw, puddle, mire”). Related to pad, path.

cog

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-patrol.wav

(law enforcement) The largest division of officers within a police department or sheriff's office, whose assignment is to patrol and respond to calls for service.


Met

The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its handling of the investigation. […] The Met said it had informed its own Directorate of Professional Standards and a "mandatory referral will be made to the IOPC in relation to the initial contact from the woman's friend".

2024 April 11, Victoria Cook, “Westminster murder inquiry: Woman, 27, named by police”, in bbc.com:

(London, law enforcement) The Metropolitan Police Service of London (MPS).


W

Abbreviations of various words beginning with W.

(law enforcement) Abbreviation of warrant.


cold case

‘I had my researchers check the files on all the mispers and cold cases five years either side of that date estimate, on females of that approximate age. This is what they found. Fill your boots.’ He took a large gulp of his drink. / ‘I’m impressed, you've been moving fast.’ / ‘On it like a car bonnet, mate.’

2015, Peter James, You Are Dead, New York, N.Y.: Minotaur Books, →ISBN:

(law enforcement, slang) A criminal investigation that has not been solved after a considerable time but remains on the books and may be reopened when new evidence appears.


UCO

en-noun

UCO (countable and uncountable, plural UCOs)

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of undercover officer.


PO

(law enforcement) Initialism of police officer.

probation officer
probation officer#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of probation officer.


modus operandi

modus operandi (plural modi operandi or modus operandis)

modi operandi (plural)
modus operandis (plural)

Borrowed from Latin modus operandī, from modus (“manner, method”) and operandī (“of working”).

(law enforcement) A known criminal's established habits and mode of work when committing specific offences, especially fraud, matched with characteristics of an unsolved crime to narrow down (limit to a specific list) or profile suspects.


modus operandi

From English modus operandi, borrowed from Latin modus operandī.


modus operandi

fr-noun

modus operandi m (plural modus operandi)


modus operandi

id-noun

modus operandi (plural modus-modus operandi)

Learned borrowing from Latin modus operandī, from modus (“manner, method”) and operandī (“of working”).


detective

→ Catalan: detectiu

→ Dutch: detective

→ French: détective

→ German: Detektiv

desc

→ Greek: ντετέκτιβ (ntetéktiv), ντεντέκτιβ (ntentéktiv)

→ Norwegian Bokmål: detektiv

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: detektiv

→ Portuguese: detetive

→ Spanish: detective

→ Swedish: detektiv

The detective kept them in view. He made his way casually along the inside of the shelter until he reached an open scuttle close to where the two men were standing talking. Eavesdropping was not a thing Larard would have practised from choice, but there were times when, in the public interest, he had to do it, and this was one of them.

1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 7, in Well Tackled!:

(law enforcement) A police officer tasked with collecting evidence and information in order to solve a crime; an investigator.


PD

en-noun

PD (countable and uncountable, plural PDs)

police department
police department#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of police department.


roundup

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-roundup.wav

(law enforcement) The similar police activity of gathering together suspects.


RCMP

R.C.M.P. (alternative)
R. C. M. P. (alternative)

Canada had an international reputation for politeness. The RCMP Special Branch did not.

2020, Patrick Ness, Burn, Walker Books Ltd (2021), page 50:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
w:Royal Canadian Mounted Police

(Canada, law enforcement) Initialism of Royal Canadian Mounted Police.


SIU

(law enforcement, Canada) Initialism of special investigation(s)/investigating unit.


bailiff

From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan from French bailli, Scots bailie, Dutch baljuw, etc. Mostly replaced the role of native reeve. Doublet of bailo.

Bailiffs of Jersey and Guernsey
High Bailiff of the Isle of Man
Landvogt
bailiff

مَأْمُور

equivalent officers of the court in foreign contexts

(law enforcement) An officer of the court, particularly:

(historical, Norman term) A reeve, (specifically) the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the decisions of lower courts in the late medieval and early modern period.

(UK) A high bailiff: an officer of the county courts responsible for executing warrants and court orders, appointed by the judge and removable by the Lord Chancellor.

(UK) A bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection.

(US) Any law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order.

teremőr

a law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order

process server

in role of serving processes and summonses

A huissier de justice or other foreign officer of the court acting as either a process server or as courtroom security.


ACC

ACC (countable and uncountable, plural ACCs)

assistant chief constable
assistant chief constable#English

(law enforcement, Commonwealth) Initialism of assistant chief constable, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.


ATF

According to the ATF, gun makers began cranking out 2.4 million rifles annually in Obama’s first term – a 52 percent increase from the previous four years of the Bush administration.

2017 December 14, David Heath, Elise Hansen and AJ Willingham, CNN Design: Joyce Tseng, “How an ‘ugly,’ unwanted weapon became the most popular rifle in America”, in CNN:

During Tuesday’s ceremony at the ATF headquarters, Dettelbach said being sworn in as the agency’s director is the “single greatest honor of my professional life” but also that it is “most certainly the greatest professional challenge of my life.”

2022 July 19, Hannah Rabinowitz and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Steve Dettelbach sworn in to lead ATF after 7 years of acting directors”, in CNN:

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)


HRT

HRT (countable and uncountable, plural HRTs)

(law enforcement) Initialism of hostage rescue team.


PBT

PBT (countable and uncountable, plural PBTs)

(law enforcement, countable) Initialism of preliminary breath test.


APB

all-points bulletin
all-points bulletin#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of all-points bulletin.


misper

Portmanteau of missing + person
Shortening of missing person as in “missing persons report”.

(law enforcement, slang) A missing person.


trooper

From troop + -er, from French troupe. The sense of “one who endures adversity” comes from trouper (“member of an acting troupe”) but through assimilation with the sense of “soldier” has come to be usually spelled “trooper”.

(US, law enforcement) Ellipsis of state trooper.

(Australia, law enforcement) A mounted policeman.


floater

From float + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

paikanvaihtaja

person without a fixed or lasting affiliation, position, or role

kelluva esine

thing which physically floats in a gas or liquid

leijuri

thing which moves from place to place, as if floating

A dock worker saw him floating against a dock pier and called the police. Condition of the body they thought a floater that had been hit by a boat and cut by the prop.

2017 September 18, E. J. Stauffer, chapter 3, in The Drowning, Bloomington, Ind.: Archway Publishing, →ISBN:

A person who physically floats in a gas or liquid.

(law enforcement, slang) A corpse floating in a body of water.


IAD

en-noun

IAD (countable and uncountable, plural IADs)

(law enforcement) internal affairs department


detain

en-verb

detain (third-person singular simple present detains, present participle detaining, simple past and past participle detained)

detains (present singular third-person)
detaining (participle present)
detained (participle past)
detained (past)

From Old French detenir. Cognate with Italian detenere, Portuguese deter, Romanian deține, and Spanish detener.

In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own.

2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 2023-01-10:

(transitive, law enforcement) To put under custody.


black and white

en-noun

black and white (plural black and whites)

The police car sense reflects a traditional livery scheme for such cars.

[T]he news bunny ran up to him, saying, "Officer, did you have trouble catching up with Batman? Was it an exciting chase?" The surfer cop struck a semi-heroic pose for the camera and said, "Weak sauce." Then he quickly walked Batman to the black-and-white, where he was put into the backseat.

2006, Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Station […], New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 237:

(US, slang, law enforcement) A police patrol car.


master key

(law enforcement, slang) A shotgun shell designed for breaching doors.


stingray

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stingray.wav

The device mimics a cell phone tower and gets the phone to connect to it. […] Once a signal is found, the stingray measures its strength and can provide a general location on the map.

2014, Catherine Nolan, Ashley M. Wilson, JD, The Audacity to Spy: How Government, Business, and Hackers Rob Us of Privacy, Technics Publications, →ISBN, page 74:

(US law enforcement) A device that simulates a cell tower, used to intercept cell phone communications.


lineup

Before viewing the lineup, each witness should be required to give to the officer in charge of the lineup a written description of the perpetrator of the crime.

1999, John N. Ferdico, Criminal Procedure for the Criminal Justice Professional, page 498:

This innocent suspect is placed in a lineup with five fillers who look similar to that innocent suspect. Given this scenario, one may ask How many people are in the lineup because they fit the description of the perpetrator?

2007, Jack R. Greene, The Encyclopedia of Police Science, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 493:

Foster was placed in a three-man lineup for viewing by the only witness (the manager of the office). Foster was about 6 feet tall, whereas the other two men in the lineup were about 5 feet 6 inches tall.

2007, Thomas J. Gardner, Terry M. Anderson, Criminal Evidence: Principles and Cases, page 264:

(US, law and law enforcement) a physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them


AFP

(Australia, law enforcement) Initialism of Australian Federal Police


aspirant

pl-noun

aspirant m pers (female equivalent aspirantka)

aspirantka (feminine)
aspirant (nominative singular)
aspiranci (nominative plural)
aspiranty (derogatory nominative plural)
aspiranta (genitive singular)
aspirantów (genitive plural)
aspirantowi (dative singular)
aspirantom (dative plural)
aspiranta (accusative singular)
aspirantów (accusative plural)
aspirantem (instrumental singular)
aspirantami (instrumental plural)
aspirancie (locative singular)
aspirantach (locative plural)
aspirancie (singular vocative)
aspiranci (plural vocative)

(law enforcement) warrant officer (in the police)


SAPOL

For example, the SAPOL Police Security Services Division (a service designed to act in competition with private providers) mentions, in its Strategic Plan 1998-2003, its similarity with SAPOL as an advantage.

2003, Canberra Law Review, volumes 7-8, page 112:

When information is provided to SAPOL and it is considered by the officer receiving the information that it is necessary that the identity of the informant and the information be kept confidential, it is the practice of SAPOL officers to give an assurance of confidentiality.

2003, South Australian Supreme Court, The South Australian State Reports, volume 87, page 482:

The data were acquired from sworn serving SAPOL police officers. To collect data for this study a submission was made to SAPOL′s Officer in Charge of Policy and Project Services.

2005, Laurence J. Alison, The Forensic Psychologist′s Casebook, page 126:

South Australia Police
w:South Australia Police

(Australia, law enforcement) Abbreviation of South Australia Police.


plonk

Chris and that plonk had better be flushing the scum out.

(countable, derogatory, UK, Ireland, law enforcement slang) A female police constable.


peacekeeper

officer of the peace
officer of the peace

(Canada, law enforcement) An officer of the peace (police officer) in a force run by a Canadian aboriginal community.


peacekeeper

(Canada, law enforcement) peacekeeper (peace officer from an aboriginal Canadian community)


MOS

"We have an MOS down," the dispatcher said.

(law enforcement) Initialism of member of the service.


Mirandize

en-verb

Mirandize (third-person singular simple present Mirandizes, present participle Mirandizing, simple past and past participle Mirandized)

Mirandizes (present singular third-person)
Mirandizing (participle present)
Mirandized (participle past)
Mirandized (past)

From Miranda + -ize. The former refers to the US Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona. Named after Ernesto Miranda.

1981. Television program Hill Street Blues, Season 1, Episode 7, "Film At Eleven".
Lt. Furillo: Be sure to Mirandize them, Ray.

[1997. New York State Bar Journal, "Volume 69"
We credit Judge John G. Gabbert of California with the first reported usage of "Mirandize" […] ]

[2007. Anu Garg, "The dord, the diglet, and an avocado or two"
To mirandize is to advise people under arrest of their legal rights, such as the right to remain silent under questioning, the right to legal counsel, etc.]

2012. Garrett Graff, "The Threat Matrix"
There was also a fierce debate over whether to Mirandize the detainees immediately. “You wouldn't Mirandize an American in this situation,” Knowles argued with Justice Department officials.

(transitive, US, law enforcement) To inform someone who has been arrested of their constitutional rights.


composite

Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot.

(chiefly law enforcement) A drawing, photograph, etc. that combines several separate pictures or images.


wanted

en-adj

wanted (comparative more wanted, superlative most wanted)

more wanted (comparative)
most wanted (superlative)

(law enforcement) Subject to immediate detainment by law enforcement authorities on sight.


perfil

Borrowed from Spanish perfil (“profile”), from Provençal perfil.

(law enforcement) profile (summary or collection of information, especially about a person)


Old Bill

(British, slang, law enforcement) A police officer.


pass out

en-verb

pass out (third-person singular simple present passes out, present participle passing out, simple past and past participle passed out)

passes out (present singular third-person)
passing out (participle present)
passed out (participle past)
passed out (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pass out.wav

He wasn't allowed to finish his training to go to France; but was sent to England on a Physical Training Course and passed out First Class.

1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 113:

"She had asked at Paddington for a return to Lympstone on the Exmouth branch, where her son was due to pass out as a Royal Marine that afternoon, at the local training camp.
"Presumably, the booking clerk had misheard her and sold her a ticket to Leominster, and other helpful staff had unwittingly helped her on her way.

2022 July 13, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 961, page 71:

(of soldiers, police, fire-fighters, etc.) To graduate, usually marked by a ceremony at the end of training.


mug shot

mug shots (plural)
mugshot (alternative)

From mug + face. First use appears c. 1899. Compare mug (“portrait”).

All Summer Johnny was Prince of the penny arcade, arms around me on the tilt-a-whirl, mug-shot grins in the quarter photo booth, twanging his guitar for street kids on the hill who scored baggies of hashish and Panama Red.

2002, Carolyne Wright, Greatest Hits 1975-2001, page 32:

The buddy list has a bunch of visual status clues. Your buddy may have included a mug shot, perhaps through Photo Booth.

2006 October 2, Edward C. Baig, Macs For Dummies, page 204:

All these parameters of the series (the mug shot, the means of mechanical reproduction, the desirability of the outlawed, the reversal of law and desire and even the photo booth) are unmistakably present in Genet’s Our Lady of the Flowers.

2008, Johanne Lamoureux, PRECARIOUS VISUALITIES New Perspectives on Identification in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture: Ending Myths and the Catholic Outing of Andy Warhol, page 114:

After waiting some five hours to be called forward on an unusually hot, humid Summer’s day in London (I believe temperatures soared to around 30 degrees Centigrade or around 90F), I presented my mug shot to the perky female jobs-worth official.

2022 July 10, Marianne Paley, Betrayed!:

(law enforcement) A photograph of a person's face, especially one taken by the police during an arrest.


DCC

en-noun

DCC (countable and uncountable, plural DCCs)

deputy chief constable
deputy chief constable#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of deputy chief constable, a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.


eenheid

nl-noun

eenheid f (plural eenheden, diminutive eenheidje n)

eenheden (plural)
eenheidje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: eenheid

From Middle Dutch eenheit, likely calque of Latin ūnitās. Some modern senses likely derive from German Einheit. Equivalent to een + -heid, analogous to English oneness.

De speciale eenheid van de politie werd ingezet om de gijzelnemer te overmeesteren.

The police's special unit was deployed to apprehend the hostage-taker.

(military, law enforcement) unit (squad or party; member of a military organisation or law enforcement organisation; division)


coating

The bogey gave him a right coating.

1931, The Police Journal, volume 4, page 501:

(law enforcement slang) A telling-off; a reprimand.


backstory

backstories (plural)
back-story (alternative)
back story (alternative)

From back- (prefix meaning ‘in, into, or towards the past’) + story.

prefix

(chiefly espionage, law enforcement) A fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives.


DS

en-noun

DS (countable and uncountable, plural DSs or DSes)

DSs (plural)
DSes (plural)
D. S. (alternative)
D.S. (alternative)

detective sergeant
detective sergeant#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of detective sergeant; a police rank used in Commonwealth countries.


buster

Originally a dialectal variant of burster; later influenced by bust + -er.
The combining form of the term has appeared from the early 20th century but been especially prolific during three periods: in the 1930s, owing to the success of the radio series Gang Busters; in the 1940s, owing to its appearance as military slang; and in the 1980s, owing to the success of the movie Ghostbusters.

rebenta-

person or thing that breaks or overwhelms

Men nicknamed him the ‘Booze Buster’, and cartoonists loved to picture him, revolver in hand,... fighting the demon rum.

1920, F. A. McKenzie, ‘Pussyfoot’ Johnson, v. 83

The professional fraud-busters [of the art world].

New York City traffic agents have become Gridlock Busters and cigarette foes are smokebusters.

(chiefly colloquial, with 'of') Someone who or something that 'breaks', tames, or overpowers a specified person or thing.

(chiefly law enforcement slang) Forming compounds denoting an agent or agency tasked with reducing or eliminating the first element.


modus

Ellipsis of English modus operandi, from New Latin.


number one

(US, law enforcement, slang) Black, African-American.


process server

process servers (plural)
process-server (alternative)

The process server could not effect service of process because the defendant was nowhere to be found.

The bailiff does not like to see himself as the brutal oppressor of the poor or as the agent of malicious creditors... This distinction between warrant officer and process server is not at all dissimilar to the gulf that divides the law officer and the peace officer in the police force... Warrant officers execute warrants whilst process servers distribute court summonses and cajole debtors.

1973, Paul Rock, Making People Pay, page 162:

(law enforcement) A deliverer of processes or summonses, the formal announcements of the beginning of a legal action; a huissier de justice or other equivalent position in other legal systems.


CSP

CSP (countable and uncountable, plural CSPs)

CSPs (plural)
C.S.P. (alternative)
C. S. P. (alternative)
C S P (alternative)

chief superintendent
chief superintendent#English

(law enforcement) Initialism of chief superintendent (a police rank).


narco

(law enforcement) Acronym of narcotics control officer (“a police officer specializing in drug crimes”).


masculino

pt-noun

masculino m (plural masculinos, feminine feminino, feminine plural femininos)

masculinos (plural)
feminino (feminine)
femininos (feminine plural)

Learned borrowing from Latin masculīnus.

(South Brazil, law enforcement) male individual


div

(law enforcement) abbreviation of divisi (“division”)


RAP

(US, law enforcement) Acronym of record of arrest and prosecution.


glina

glina (canonical masculine person)
glina (canonical feminine)
glina (nominative singular)
gliny (nominative plural)
gliny (genitive singular)
glin (genitive plural)
glinie (dative singular)
glinom (dative plural)
glinę (accusative singular)
gliny (accusative plural)
gliną (instrumental singular)
glinami (instrumental plural)
glinie (locative singular)
glinach (locative plural)
glino (singular vocative)
gliny (plural vocative)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *glina, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *gléiˀnāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y-.

(colloquial, law enforcement) cop (police officer)


incident report

en-noun

incident report (plural incident reports)

(law enforcement) A commonly used description for law enforcement or help desk events.


SSP

senior superintendent
senior superintendent#English

(law enforcement) Abbreviation of senior superintendent, a police rank.


prone out

en-verb

prone out (third-person singular simple present prones out, present participle proning out, simple past and past participle proned out)

prones out (present singular third-person)
proning out (participle present)
proned out (participle past)
proned out (past)

(transitive, law enforcement) To order or cause a person to lie prone on the ground, usually at gunpoint and to effect a high-risk arrest.


intendente

es-noun

intendente m or f by sense (plural intendentes, feminine intendente or intendenta, feminine plural intendentes or intendentas)

intendentes (plural)
intendente (feminine)
intendenta (feminine)
intendentes (feminine plural)
intendentas (feminine plural)

Borrowed from French intendant, introduced by the common Bourbon dynasty for various functions.

(Ecuador, Mexico, law enforcement) inspector


obs

But I now knew I was under obs by the Gardai as well as by GMP.

2017, Jimmy Donnelly, Jimmy The Weed: Inside the Quality Street Gang:

Had you under obs for three weeks.

2018, Paige Elizabeth Turner, Clock Face of Ills:

(law enforcement, slang) Police observation.


Miranda

Named after Ernesto Miranda. From the case Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), from the Romance (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian habitational surname) Miranda.