Law enforcement jargon
Law enforcement jargon refers to a large body of acronyms, abbreviations, codes and slang used by law enforcement personnel to provide quick concise descriptions of people, places, property and situations, in both spoken and written communication. These vary between countries and to a lesser extent regionally.[1]
United Kingdom
Initialisms
- ABH: Actual bodily harm
- ARV: Armed Response Vehicle
- B&E: Breaking and entering
- BIP: Burglary In Progress
- BOP: Breach of the peace
- D&D: Drunk And Disorderly
- DIC: Drunk In Charge (of a vehicle)
- DIP: Drunk In Public
- GBH: Grievous Bodily Harm
- IRTC: Injury Road Traffic Collision
- NFA: No Further Action or No Fixed Abode
- PWITS: (pronounced peewits) Possession With Intent To Supply[2]
- RTC: Road Traffic Collision
- SOCO: Scenes Of Crime Officer; a forensic crime scene examiner
- TDA: Taking and Driving Away
- TFU: Tactical Firearms Unit
- TWOC: Taken Without Owner's Consent
- UDAA: Unlawfully Driving Away an Automobile
- VDRS: Vehicle Defects Rectification Scheme
- VSS: Victim Support Scheme
Acronyms
- ACPO: Association of Chief Police Officers
- CO19: Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command; A unit of the Metropolitan Police Service.
- HOCR: Home Office Counting Rules
- HOLMES: Home Office Large and Major Enquiry System; a computer system for major incidents
- PACE: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Act of parliament providing a core framework of police powers in England and Wales and safeguards around stop and search, arrest, detention, investigation, identification and interviewing detainees
- PCSO: Police Community Support Officer; A civilian uniformed non-warranted officer. Alternatively a Police Custody and Security Officer in Scotland.
- PNC: Police National Computer
- NSPIS: National Strategy for Police Information Systems; a computer system for the management of police resources
Abbreviations
- AIO: All In Order
- ATT: At This Time
- MISPER: Missing person
- MOE: Method Of Entry (battering ram)
- WOFF: Write off; a vehicle or other property deemed a total loss for insurance purposes
- WINQ: Warrant inquiry
- Code 99: Tea break, "99" is a brand of Co-op tea. The Co-op is a popular UK supermarket chain.
- NOK: Next Of Kin
- PAAOTCO: Please Ask An Officer To Call On...
- POLSA: Police Search Advisor.
- POLSTA: Police Station
- U/K: Unknown
Other
United States
Numerical and alphanumerical codes
The ten-codes are used only for voice communications, usually radio transmissions and denote commonly used phrases; for example 10-16 means domestic disturbance for some agencies. Use of ten-codes is intended for the clear, quick, and concise communication between law enforcement officers.
The response codes consist of the word "Code" followed by a number; for example "Code 3" means lights and sirens.
Numbers and alphanumeric combinations referring to offenses and actions covered by legal codes are often used both as nouns and verbs in both spoken and written communication. Since each state has its own system of law, this usage varies widely by state. For example in California, if a suspect is 849B'd, it means they are released from custody after being arrested (instead of being booked into county jail) and refers to section 849(b) of the California Penal Code.
Subject description initialisms
Three letter abbreviations are commonly used to describe subjects mentioned in incident reports. The first letter denotes apparent race/ethnicity; the most commonly used letters are: A—Asian, B—Black, H—Hispanic, O—Other, W—White. The letters PI are occasionally used to denote Pacific Islander resulting in a four letter abbreviation . The second letter denotes gender: F—Female, M—Male. The final letter denotes whether the subject is legally an adult: A—Adult, J—Juvenile. Thus the initialism WFJ (or wfj) appearing after a subject's name in a police log would denote a white female juvenile.
Code violations
- ADW: Assault with a Deadly Weapon
- B&E: Breaking and Entering
- DIP: Drunk In Public
- DUII: Driving Under Influence of Intoxicants
- DWS: Driving While Suspended
- DUS: Driving Under Suspension
- FTA: Failure to Appear
- HS: Health and Safety Code
- LFA: Larceny from Automobile
- PC: Penal Code
- VC: Vehicle Code
- WI: Welfare & Institutions Code
- Fel.: Felony
- Misd.: Misdemeanor
- Inf.: Infraction
Initialisms describing situations
- ATL: Attempt To Locate
- BOLO: Be On Lookout (pronounced as Bo-Low)
- DB: Dead Body
- DID: Driver in Ditch
- DOA: Dead On Arrival
- EDP: Emotionally Disturbed Person
- GOA: Gone On Arrival
- IFO: In Front Of
- LKA: Last Known Address
- LNU: Last Name Unknown
- QOA: Quiet On Arrival
- UTL: Unable To Locate
Miscellaneous abbreviations and descriptive terms
- Adam Henry (AH, i.e, "Asshole"): Ignorant individual slang [see HUA]
- APB: All Points Bulletin
- APC: All Points County
- AVL: Automatic Vehicle Location; allowed dispatch to see exactly where a given patrol car was [5]
- BOLO: Similar to and APB, Be On The Look Out (for)
- CJ: County Jail
- Civies: term describing non uniform clothing used in undercover operations
- CompStat: method of tracking criminal activity and subsequent enforcement
- Condition: problem or concern in need of police attention
- DA: District Attorney
- DV: Domestic Violence
- DOB: Date Of Birth
- DOJ: Department of Justice
- EC: Emergency Contact
- ETOH: Intoxicated
- FD: Fire Department
- FTO: Field Training Officer
- GAT: Illegal firearm
- GOA: Gone On Arrival
- GSW: Gunshot wound
- HBO: Handled By Officer
- House mouse: A police officer who seldom leaves the police station
- HUA: Ignorant slang [see AH or "Adam Henry"]
- KA: Known Associate
- LEDS/LEADS: Law Enforcement (Agencies) Data System
- LUDS: Local Usage Details. A detailed record of calls made and received from a particular phone number.
- MDT: Mobile Data Terminal, referring to in car computer systems.
- MUTT: An extremely unsavory character
- MVA: Motor Vehicle Accident
- NAT: Necessary Action Taken
- NORP: Normal, Ordinary, Responsible Person
- OLN: Operator's License Number
- PA: Prosecuting Attorney
- PC: Probable Cause — legal standard of proof that is greater than reasonable suspicion
- PD: Police Department or Police Headquarters
- PMVA: Pedestrian Motor Vehicle Accident
- PR: Person (or Party) Reporting (used by LAPD and various others)
- PUKE: A pejorative for an inmate of the county jail or state prison
- RDO: Regular Day Off
- Responsible (RESP): Alleged perpetrator of a violation
- RO: Registered Owner
- RP: Reporting Person/Party
- SA: State's Attorney
- SKELL: Unsavory character (term often used by NY Police Officers)
- SKELL GEL: Anti bacterial lotion used by Officers after contact with skell(s)
- SNEU: Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit
- SO: Sheriff's Office
- SOC: Social Security Number
- SOR: Sex Offender Registration/Registrant
- SRO: School Resource Officer
- UTL: Unable To Locate
- WOOD SHAMPOO: Using less than lethal force to gain compliance
Miscellaneous acronyms
- AFIS: Automated fingerprint identification system
- CODIS: Combined DNA Index System
- UNSUB: Unknown Subject(of an investigation)
- IAFIS: Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
- NCIC: National Crime Information Center
- SWAT: A police department's special weapons and tactics unit
- VIN: Vehicle Identification Number
Miscellaneous abbreviations
- B&R: Booked and released (from county jail)
- BKD: Booked (into county jail)
- BLK: Street block
- BTWN: Between
- BUS: Ambulance
- COMPL: Complainant
- Copy: Affirmative
- DESC: Description
- JUV: Juvenile
- K9: (or K-9), handler-and-canine unit
- MOD: Model (of vehicle, for example)
- M/N: Model Number (of article, for example)
- PROP: Property
- PERP: Perpetrator
- R&I: Records and Information
- REG: Vehicle registration
- RELD/RLSD: Released
- RPTS: Reports (verb)
- SER: Serial number
- S/N: Serial number
- S/H: Station house
- SUSP: Suspect
- S/V: Suspect Vehicle
- TKN: Taken
- TANGO: Thank You
- UNK: Unknown
- UTL: Unable To Locate
- VEH: Vehicle
- VIC: Victim
- V/C: Victim / Complainant
- WARR: Warrant
Popular culture
Law enforcement jargon is heavily used in police procedurals and similar shows. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a television series about forensic scientists, uses many acronyms such as AFIS, CODIS and DB.
The numeric code 187 from the California Penal Code section dealing with murder has been featured in numerous gangsta rap songs such as Deep Cover and as the title of the movie One Eight Seven.
External links
- Killeen Police Jargon Page (the local police department in Killeen, Texas)
- North Yorkshire Police Jargon Buster (the Police Force in North Yorkshire, England)
- Menlo Park Police Daily Log Glossary (PDF format) (the local police department in Menlo Park, California)
- Staffordshire Police Jargon Buster (the Police Force in Staffordshire, England)
- UK Police Slang and Acronyms (a large and growing list of police slang submitted by Police forum members)
- Legal Jargon Glossary (a large list of legal terms and jargon used by Attorneys)
References
- ↑ "Law Enforcement Terms".
- ↑ Evidence in Drugs Cases. Release.
- ↑ Video: Exhausted cops don't give up on the Big Red Key. The Northern Echo.
- ↑ Police open doors for Children in Need. North Yorkshire Police.
- ↑ "Police slang and jargon". Concealed carry archive