Vocabulary part of speech |
Meaning |
Example
sentence |
arrest verb |
take into police control |
My partner arrested the man who set
fire to the building. |
assailant noun |
person who assaults or attacks |
Did you see the assailant run away?
|
at large (on the
loose) preposition + adjective |
not caught, running free |
I'm afraid that the man who robbed the bank is
still at large. |
armed and
dangerous adjective |
is carrying a weapon and has a violent
background |
Do not approach the thief if you see him. He
is considered armed and dangerous. |
back-up
noun |
police that are called in to support or
help |
We're calling for back up now that we
know she has a gun. |
bail noun |
large amount of money that someone pays as a
promise to appear in cour |
Your husband's bail is posted at 20,
000 dollars. |
baton (night
stick) noun |
heavy stick that police use for controlling
crowds or defending themselves |
No, we don't carry guns. We only have
batons. |
book
someone verb |
register someone as a criminal |
We're taking your brother down to the station
to book him. |
break
into verb |
enter a residence, car, or business
illegally |
Do you have any idea who would have broken
into your car? |
burglar noun |
a person who breaks into a home or business
and steals items |
We think the burglar got in through
your chimney. |
cell noun |
individual room in a jail/prison |
We'll have to keep you in a cell until
someone comes to pay your bail. |
convict noun |
a person who is doing (or supposed to be
doing) jailtime |
Please be aware that there is a convict
on the loose. |
cop/copper noun
|
police officer (common
slang) |
Did somebody here call the cops? |
criminal record
noun |
a file that lists all of the crimes a person
has committed |
We don't allow anyone with a criminal
record into our country. |
crime scene
noun |
the place where a crime happened |
Please stay outside the yellow tape. This is a
crime scene. |
cruiser (squad car)
noun |
police car |
Please step out of your vehicle and get into
the police cruiser. |
(in) custody
noun |
under police control |
You will be happy to know that we have taken
the kidnapper into custody. |
DUI/DWI |
(Driving Under the Influence/Driving while
Intoxicated). Driving after drinking too much alcohol |
Your record says that you have two previous
DUIs. |
detective noun |
police officer responsible for solving
crime |
The detective is going to ask you a few
questions about the man's appearance. |
do time verb +
noun |
receive punishment for a crime by spending
time in jail |
You won't be required to do any time
but you will have to pay a fine. |
domestic
dispute adjective + noun |
argument/trouble in the home(often leads to
violence) |
We've had a number of calls reporting a
domestic dispute in your hotel room. |
escape verb |
get away from a holding place |
If you try to escape we will have to
restrain you with handcuffs. |
felony noun |
a major crime (e.g. murder) |
Murder is considered a felony and is
punishable by life in prison. |
fine noun |
money that a person pays for breaking a
law |
You can get charged a large fine for
speeding in a school zone. |
fingerprints noun |
marks left by fingers that identify a
person |
We're going to have to check your personal
belongings for fingerprints. |
firearms noun |
weapons that shoot |
It is illegal to carry unregistered
firearms such as rifles and pistols. |
gang noun |
a group of people often associated with crime
and drugs |
Stay away from this area at night as there is
a lot of gang activity. |
guilty adjective |
responsible for a crime, deserving of
punishment |
You will be considered innocent until you are
proven guilty. |
handcuffs noun |
metal rings that attach to wrists to keep
criminals (or the accused)from escaping |
We put your boyfriend in handcuffs,
because we saw him climbing through your window and thought he was an
intruder. |
innocent adjective |
not responsible for the crime |
We'll believe you are innocent when you
show us your receipt for the items in the bag. |
intruder noun |
a person who enters a home or business
illegally |
Someone called to report an intruder on
the third floor. |
jail
(prison) noun |
a place where criminals are confined |
The guards will be patrolling the
prison all day long. |
misdemeanor noun |
a minor crime (punishment is usually a fine or
less than one year in jail) |
Stealing a road sign is considered a
misdemeanor,but is punishable by a large fine. |
noise
complaint noun |
a call to the police to complain of disturbing
noise (usually music or a party) |
Two of your neighbours have made a noise
complaint tonight. |
| partner noun |
another officer that a policeman drives and
works with |
I'm going to get you to tell your story to my
partner. |
patrol (on
patrol) verb |
observe and protect an area |
We always patrol the downtown core on
the weekends. |
perpetrator noun |
person who committed the crime |
The perpetrator is still at large.
|
pickpocket noun |
a thief who steals from people's pockets in
transit or in crowds |
Beware of pickpockets on the subway.
|
pistol noun |
a hand held firearm
|
Our local cops carry pistols but rarely
use them. |
pursuit noun |
the act of searching for |
We are in pursuit of a man in a green
jacket and orange pants. |
radar noun/adjective |
radio wave transmission that helps police
track cars and map crime scenes |
According to our radar you were driving
well above the speed limit. |
robbery noun |
theft; taking something that does not belong
to you, often with force |
We have twenty officers investigating the bank
robbery. |
speeding
ticket noun |
a fine given to a driver who gets caught
driving beyond the speed limit |
Your license shows a clean driving record
except for one speeding ticket from five years ago. |
steal verb |
to take something that does not belong to
you |
Do you know who stole your wallet? |
street
crime noun |
crime such as drugs and prostitution |
Don't give the beggars any money. You will
only be promoting street crime. |
thief noun |
somebody who steals |
We have found the thief who stole your
car. |
walkie-talkie noun |
hand held radio each partner carries |
My partner told me your license plate over
his walkie-talkie. |
wanted adjective |
being searched for by police |
A man from your hotel is wanted for his
involvement in a murder. |
witness verb |
to see something happen |
Three people witnessed the murder but
they are afraid to speak. |
young offender (juvenile
delinquent) noun |
a minor who commits a crime (usually under age
of 18) |
Your punishment will be less severe because
you are a young offender. |