Vocabulary
part of speech
| Meaning
| Example sentence
|
аrrest
verb
| take into police control
| My partner arrested the man who set
fire to the building.
|
аssailant
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 ideawho 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
recordinto 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 speedingin 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.
|