Police Abbreviations
84 abbreviations · part of Government & Political Abbreviations
Abbreviations used by police officers, dispatchers, detectives and courts in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, from radio and report shorthand (APB, BOLO, GOA) to impaired-driving offenses (DUI, DWI, OWI), ranks, units, databases and use-of-force terms. Usage varies between agencies and states, so the same offense or rank may carry different initials in different places; the entries note those differences. Federal agencies such as the FBI and ATF are covered under government agency abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ABH | Actual bodily harm | English and Welsh offense of assault causing injury that is more than trivial, such as bruising or minor fractures, under section 47 of the Offences Against the Person… |
| AFIS | Automated Fingerprint Identification System | Computer system that stores fingerprint images and searches them to identify suspects, arrestees and unidentified bodies. |
| ALPR | Automated license plate reader | Camera system that photographs passing vehicles, reads their license plates and checks them against hot lists of stolen cars or wanted persons, storing the time and… |
| ANPR | Automatic number plate recognition | British term for camera systems that read vehicle registration plates and check them against databases of stolen, uninsured or wanted vehicles. |
| APB | All-points bulletin | Broadcast alert sent to every unit and often to neighboring agencies, asking officers to look for a wanted suspect, missing person or vehicle. |
| ASBO | Anti-social behaviour order | Civil order once used in England and Wales to restrict a person's behavior, such as banning them from areas or associating with certain people, after antisocial conduct. |
| ATL | Attempt to locate | Dispatch request for officers to look for a person or vehicle when there is no crime-related urgency, such as a welfare check on a missing adult, a possibly impaired… |
| B&E | Breaking and entering | Unlawful entry into a building or vehicle by force or other means, often with intent to commit a crime inside. |
| BAC | Blood alcohol concentration | Amount of alcohol in a person's blood, expressed in the US as grams per 100 milliliters, so 0.08 percent is the legal driving limit in most states. |
| BOLO | Be on the lookout | Alert asking officers, and sometimes the public, to watch for a specific person, vehicle or item connected to a crime, missing-person case or threat. |
| BWC | Body-worn camera | Small video camera worn on an officer's uniform to record encounters with the public. |
| CCW | Carry concealed weapon | License or permit allowing a person to carry a hidden handgun in public, also called CHL, CPL or LTC depending on the state. |
| CEW | Conducted electrical weapon | Weapon that fires two barbed probes connected by wires to deliver electrical pulses that cause temporary loss of muscle control, best known by the brand name TASER. |
| CHP | California Highway Patrol | California state law enforcement agency that patrols state highways and freeways, investigates traffic collisions and protects state buildings and officials. |
| CI | Confidential informant | Person who secretly provides information to police about criminal activity, often in exchange for money, leniency on their own charges or other benefits. |
| CID | Criminal Investigation Department | Detective branch of a British or Commonwealth police force, responsible for investigating serious crimes such as robbery, serious assault and fraud. |
| CIT | Crisis intervention team | Program that trains police officers to recognize and de-escalate encounters with people in mental health crises, often in partnership with mental health providers. |
| CODIS | Combined DNA Index System | FBI-run network of DNA databases that lets local, state and national crime labs compare DNA profiles from crime scenes with profiles of offenders, arrestees and missing… |
| CW | Cooperating witness | Person, often charged or under investigation, who provides information or testimony to prosecutors in exchange for potential leniency, such as reduced charges or a… |
| DC | Detective constable | Most junior detective rank in UK police forces, equal in rank to a uniformed police constable. |
| DCI | Detective Chief Inspector | Senior British detective rank, often held by the officer leading a major investigation such as a murder inquiry. |
| Det. | Detective | Investigator's title in police departments, placed before the name in news stories, police reports and courtroom testimony. |
| DI | Detective Inspector | British police rank immediately below detective chief inspector, typically supervising a team of detective sergeants and constables. |
| DOA | Dead on arrival | Term for a person found to be dead when EMS arrives or when brought to the emergency department, with no resuscitation attempted or indicated. |
| DRE | Drug recognition expert | Police officer specially trained to evaluate drivers suspected of drug impairment using a standardized 12-step evaluation that includes vital signs, pupil checks and… |
| DS | Detective Sergeant | Detective rank in British policing above detective constable and below detective inspector, often supervising a small team of investigators. |
| DUI | Driving under the influence | Criminal offense of operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, drugs or both, or with a blood alcohol concentration at or above the legal limit, 0.08 percent in… |
| DV | Domestic violence | Abuse, threats or violence between intimate partners, spouses, family or household members. |
| DWI | Driving while intoxicated | Name used for the drunk or drugged driving offense in states including Texas, New York, New Jersey, Missouri and North Carolina, covering driving with a blood alcohol… |
| DWLS | Driving while license suspended | Offense of driving after a person's license has been suspended, often for unpaid fines, DUI, insurance lapses or too many points. |
| EDP | Emotionally disturbed person | Police term, especially in New York, for someone in a mental health crisis who may be a danger to themselves or others. |
| FTA | Failure to appear | Failure of a defendant to attend a required court date. |
| FTO | Field training officer | Experienced patrol officer who trains and evaluates new officers during their first months on the street after the academy. |
| GBH | Grievous bodily harm | Serious assault offense in England and Wales involving really serious injury or wounding, charged under section 20 (maximum five years) or, if intent is proved, section… |
| GOA | Gone on arrival | Dispatch disposition meaning the subject, suspect or vehicle had left before officers got to the scene. |
| GSR | Gunshot residue | Microscopic particles, mainly of lead, barium and antimony, expelled when a firearm is discharged, which can land on the shooter's hands, face and clothing. |
| GTA | Grand theft auto | Theft of a motor vehicle, a term from California law, where vehicle theft is a form of grand theft. |
| HGN | Horizontal gaze nystagmus | Involuntary jerking of the eyes as they move to the side, which becomes more pronounced with alcohol and some drugs. |
| IA | Internal affairs | Police unit that investigates complaints and allegations of misconduct by the department's own officers, including excessive force, corruption and policy violations. |
| IID | Ignition interlock device | Breath-testing device wired into a vehicle's ignition that prevents the engine from starting if the driver's breath alcohol is above a preset limit. |
| K-9 | Canine | Police dog unit or the dog itself, trained for tracking, suspect apprehension, building searches and detecting drugs, explosives or human remains. |
| LAPD | Los Angeles Police Department | Police department of the City of Los Angeles, one of the largest in the US, with about 9,000 officers. |
| LASD | Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department | Largest sheriff's department in the United States, policing unincorporated Los Angeles County and dozens of contract cities, and running one of the largest jail systems… |
| LEO | Law enforcement officer | General term for a sworn officer with arrest powers, covering city police, sheriff's deputies, state troopers and federal agents. |
| LEOSA | Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act | US federal law, enacted in 2004, that allows qualified active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms in any state, regardless of most state… |
| LTL | Less-than-lethal | Category of weapons and munitions designed to incapacitate without killing, such as beanbag rounds, rubber bullets, foam projectiles and pepper balls. |
| M.O. | Modus operandi (method of operating) | Describes a person's or group's characteristic way of doing something, especially a criminal's recognizable pattern of behavior. |
| MDT | Mobile data terminal | Computer mounted in a police car that lets officers receive dispatch calls, run plates and names, view maps and write reports without using the radio. |
| MISPER | Missing person | Police jargon, used mainly in the UK, Ireland and Australia, for a person reported missing or the case itself. |
| MVA | Motor vehicle accident | Older and still common term for a crash involving motor vehicles, used in emergency, insurance and police records. |
| NCIC | National Crime Information Center | FBI-run computerized database of criminal justice information, including wanted persons, missing persons, stolen vehicles, stolen guns and protective orders, accessible… |
| NFA | No further action | British police and prosecution decision to close a case without charging a suspect, for example because of insufficient evidence. |
| NIBRS | National Incident-Based Reporting System | FBI crime-reporting standard that records details of each incident, including all offenses, victims, offenders, property and arrests, rather than summary counts. |
| NYPD | New York City Police Department | Largest police force in the United States, with roughly 33,000 to 35,000 uniformed officers, responsible for policing New York City's five boroughs, subway and housing… |
| OC | Oleoresin capsicum | Inflammatory agent derived from hot peppers that is the active ingredient in pepper spray, carried by police and sold for self-defense. |
| OIS | Officer-involved shooting | Incident in which a police officer fires a weapon at a person, whether or not anyone is hit. |
| OPP | Ontario Provincial Police | Provincial police force of Ontario, Canada, which patrols provincial highways and provides policing to many smaller communities and First Nations without their own… |
| OUI | Operating under the influence | Name for the impaired driving offense in Massachusetts and Maine. |
| OWI | Operating while intoxicated | Term for impaired driving used in states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. "Operating" can cover being in physical control of a vehicle even if it is not… |
| PACE | Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 | Act of Parliament governing police powers in England and Wales, including stop and search, arrest, detention, interviews and the treatment of suspects in custody. |
| PBT | Preliminary breath test | Handheld roadside breath test that gives a quick estimate of a driver's blood alcohol concentration, used to help establish probable cause for a DUI arrest. |
| PC | Police constable | Basic rank of police officer in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries, written before the officer's surname or number, as in "PC Smith" or "PC 1234." All… |
| PCSO | Police community support officer | Uniformed civilian member of police staff in England and Wales who patrols neighborhoods, deals with antisocial behavior and supports police officers but has limited… |
| PD | Police department | Municipal police agency, as in "Boston PD," and the common shorthand for a city's police force. |
| PIT | Precision immobilization technique | Pursuit tactic in which a police car pushes the rear corner of a fleeing vehicle, causing it to spin out and stop. |
| PO | Parole officer | Officer who supervises people released from prison on parole, enforcing conditions such as reporting, drug testing, residence and employment. |
| POI | Person of interest | Informal label for someone police want to question in connection with a crime, without formally calling them a suspect. |
| POST | Peace Officer Standards and Training | State commission that sets minimum hiring, training and certification standards for police officers, and in many states can revoke an officer's certification for… |
| RMS | Records management system | Software system that police agencies use to store incident reports, arrests, case files, evidence records and crime statistics. |
| ROR | Released on own recognizance | Pretrial release without bail, based on the defendant's written promise to appear at all future court dates. |
| RTC | Road traffic collision | British and Irish police term for a traffic crash, replacing the older "RTA" (road traffic accident). |
| SFST | Standardized field sobriety tests | Set of three roadside tests used by US officers to judge whether a driver is impaired: horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn and one-leg stand. |
| SIO | Senior investigating officer | UK police officer, usually a detective chief inspector or higher, in overall charge of a major investigation such as a homicide or kidnapping. |
| SO | Sheriff's office | County law enforcement agency led by an elected sheriff in most US states, responsible for unincorporated areas, county jails, court security and serving civil papers. |
| SRO | School resource officer | Sworn law enforcement officer assigned to work in one or more schools, combining security duties with mentoring and education. |
| SWAT | Special weapons and tactics | Specially trained and equipped police unit that handles high-risk situations such as hostage incidents, barricaded suspects, active shooters and dangerous warrant… |
| TASER | Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle | Brand of conducted electrical weapon made by Axon Enterprise and the most widely used stun weapon in policing. |
| TWOC | Taking without owner's consent | British offense of taking a motor vehicle or other conveyance without the owner's permission, under section 12 of the Theft Act 1968, without needing to prove an intent… |
| UC | Undercover officer | Officer who conceals their police identity to gather evidence, buy drugs or infiltrate criminal groups. |
| UCR | Uniform Crime Reporting | FBI program that collects crime statistics from US law enforcement agencies, used to publish national crime data since 1930. |
| UNSUB | Unknown subject | Term used by the FBI and other investigators for an unidentified offender, especially in serial crimes and behavioral profiling. |
| UOF | Use of force | Any physical action police take to control a person, from handcuffing and takedowns to Tasers, batons and firearms. |
| UTL | Unable to locate | Disposition used when officers cannot find the person, vehicle or problem reported to them after searching the area. |
| VOP | Violation of probation | Allegation or finding that a person on probation broke a condition of supervision, such as committing a new crime, failing a drug test, missing appointments or not… |