How Good Is Your Police Slang?

By: Kale Havervold
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
How Good Is Your Police Slang?
Image: Thinkstock Images / Stockbyte / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Slang is a part of nearly everyone's lives, but few people use it as much as police officers. Some slang is for fun and just caught on other time, while other slang and jargon come from actual penal codes. In addition to slang, there are also radio signals and communication that are important to know as an officer. Add to that the dozens of acronyms that are widely used throughout the country, and it is easy to see why slang and the related vernacular are so important in law enforcement. 

But just how much do you know about the slang and jargon used by police officers? For example, do you know what LKA stands for? How about what it takes for a cop to be referred to as a house mouse? If you already know and want to show off your skills, or if you want to learn some slang to impress your police friends, this is the quiz for you.  We'll look at a variety of different slang, jargon, acronyms and signals that police officers around the country use every single day to make their jobs a little bit easier.

Without any further ado, put your badge on and get ready to take on our challenging police slang quiz. Will you make a successful arrest and defeat the quiz, or lose the perp and fail?

Question 1
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What is a J-Cat?
A type of police cruiser
A category of crime
A mentally ill individual
A stray and rabid animal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of course, there are numerous different categories of individuals, and police must be able to identify them quickly. If a police officer talks about a J-cat (category J person), they are often speaking of a mentally ill person.

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Question 2
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When someone has an "Irish pendant," where would it be located?
On their uniform
On their face
On their shoes
In their car
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An Irish pendant refers to a loose string or set of strings on the uniform of a police officer. While they are not always an issue, you definitely wouldn't want to have one ahead of an inspection.

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Question 3
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If someone is wearing a Sam Browne, what are they wearing?
A bullet-proof vest
A police hat
A pair of steel-toed shoes
A belt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While actual Sam Browne brand belts are no longer in use among most police forces and have fallen out of favor, most people in the industry still refer to any police utility belt as a Sam Browne.

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Question 4
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What are "Berries and Cherries"?
A popular flavor of ice cream loved by most cops
The lights on a police car
Slang for a prison
The colors of a police uniform
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Berries and cherries, when it comes to the police, refers to the red and blue lights on a police car. Some people might even refer to the police themselves as the berries and cherries.

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Question 5
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When would a cop use the term "Hook'em and Book'em"?
When they are arresting someone
When they are in a car chase
When they are interviewing someone
When a person is being released from prison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The term "hook'em and book'em" refers to getting a suspect in handcuffs and getting them booked in at the jail. So this term would often be heard when someone is being arrested by an officer.

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Question 6
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If a person is a "Deuce," what are they doing?
Driving drunk
Using the bathroom in public outdoors
Texting and driving
Jaywalking
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The term "deuce" refers to someone who is driving drunk or is under the influence. The term originally started back in California, but it has spread around the rest of the country.

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Question 7
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Police officers frequently say "10-4" during radio conversation; what does it mean?
Assistance required
Provide your location
Understood
A status check-in
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

10-4 is one of the few police "10 codes" and radio signals that allow officers to quickly and effectively communicated. It essentially means "OK" or "understood" and is a common response on the radio.

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Question 8
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What makes someone a "House Mouse"?
If they take their job too seriously
They still haven't gotten their first arrest.
If they are new to the force
When an officer rarely leaves the station
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Part of being a police officer, at least most of the time, is going out on patrol. However, if an officer doesn't do that, and just stays at the station, they are often called a house mouse.

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Question 9
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FIDO is a commonly used acronym used by police officers. What does it mean?
Face it, do over
Forget it, drive on
Fake it, due on
Flat inside, durable outside
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

FIDO means "forget it and drive on." This term is often used for situations that potentially could be criminal or suspicious, but officers decide not to investigate any further for one reason or another.

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Question 10
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If an arrested person is getting "Mirandized," what is happening to them?
They are getting tossed in the police car.
They are getting booked in.
An arrested individual is read their rights.
Individuals inform their families they have been arrested.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone has rights, and when you are arrested, some of these rights need to be explained to you via officers. These are called Miranda rights, and when you are being read these rights, you are being Mirandized.

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Question 11
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When a police officer uses the term "perp," what are they referring to?
Someone in purple clothing
Someone who is the victim of a crime
A store owner who has been robbed
Someone they believe committed a crime
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Another way to say that someone committed a crime is to say that they were the perpetrator of that crime. As a result, a perp refers to someone that officers know or believe has committed a crime.

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Question 12
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What does the term "D-Dub" mean?
Driving while intoxicated
Driving without a license
Driving without any insurance
Driving while texting
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

D-dub typically refers to a DWI (driving while intoxicated). While it is common slang, it is hardly ever used on the radios themselves and is mainly just spoken between a group of officers in a more personal manner.

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Question 13
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If a police officer asks someone if they have a "script" for something, what are they usually referring to?
Drugs
Guns
An actual movie script
Money
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a police officer asks someone if they have a script, it is usually in the context of asking about prescription drugs. People who carry a large number of prescription drugs without a prescription can find themselves in a lot of trouble.

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Question 14
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What does it mean if someone is "flying colors"?
High on drugs
Showing off gang colors
Stealing items
Breaking into a business
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If someone is flying colors, it means that they are showing off gang colors publically. This is often done through the clothing they are wearing, the colors of their vehicle, or many other things.

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Question 15
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If an officer is wearing "civvies," what are they wearing?
Their uniform
Special underwear
Civilian clothing
Large boots
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If an officer is just wearing civvies, it means they are in civilian clothing. This could mean that they are off duty, coming to or from work, or even doing some secret undercover work that requires them to blend in.

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Question 16
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What does the acronym "BOLO" stand for?
Be on the lookout
Bring old laws over
Best of legal obligation
Bond over loud objects
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

BOLO refers to be on the lookout. This term is usually used to warn other officers about a criminal or potentially suspicious individual that they should be looking out for. The term dates back many decades.

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Question 17
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When an officer asks another what their "20" is, what are they asking?
How long into their shift they are
Where they are
How many arrests they have made that day
How far from the police station they are
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If one police officer asks another "what's your 20", they are asking where they currently are. Identifying the location of other officers or individuals is very important and this radio code allows them to do so quickly.

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Question 18
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What is a signal 0?
Armed individual
A car accident
A break-in
A fight
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Police need to make lightning-quick communication with one another from time to time, and radio signals help them do so. Signal 0 is instrumental as it refers to an armed individual or caution.

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Question 19
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If a person is "banged up," what are they?
High on drugs
Facing at least 25 years in prison
Just got beaten up
Locked in a cell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While many of these potential answers might have sounded right, being banged up means you are locked away in a cell. This can both refer to a cell in a jail, police station or prison.

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Question 20
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What is a person doing if they "cough" during an interrogation"?
Pretend not to know anything
Blame someone else for crimes
Confess to crimes
Get incredibly angry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Interrogations can go a number of ways and have a variety of different results. Ultimately, police want to end the interrogation with the suspect coughing (or confessing) to the crime.

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Question 21
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When police officers are in a "sleeper car," what does that mean?
A car that cops sleep in during stakeouts
An unassuming vehicle with high performance under the hood
The car of a criminal
Their civilian vehicles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A sleeper car is a car that looks pretty normal and boring on the outside but is incredibly high performing under the hood. Many undercover police cars are sleeper cars, in an effort to blend in.

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Question 22
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In the law enforcement world, what is meant if you say someone is "tooled up"?
They are high.
They are working as a carpenter.
They are carrying a weapon.
They are wearing lots of makeup.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many criminals carry weapons, and many police officers will refer to those people as tooled up. While any weapon can lead to someone being tooled up, it is generally some kind of a gun.

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Question 23
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What is the slang term given to a certain area that a police officer is in charge of patrolling?
Country
Beat
Province
Land
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The area where a certain officer generally works and is comfortable with is often called their beat. People may be uncomfortable switching beats and may be partial to remaining in their own during a patrol.

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Question 24
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If a police station has a "full boat," what does that mean?
No more room in holding cells
Stacked full of paperwork
All police cars are out of commission.
The entire force is working.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When a police station has a full boat, it means that the entire squad is at work, no one is sick, away or on leave. Having so many people can often allow a force to take on special types of jobs or assignments that night.

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Question 25
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When a suspect "flips" during an investigation or interrogation, what is happening?
They change their story.
They confess and implicate other people.
They do an actual flip.
They start asking interviewers all the questions.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When someone flips during an interview or interrogation, it is often a large win for law enforcement. It is when a person confesses to a crime and also reveals who else was involved and what they did.

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Question 26
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What is normally happening when it is said that a criminal "skated" on their charges?
They are going to do more time than expected.
They get acquited due to a technicality.
They are going to do less time than expected.
They plead guilty.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While many people end up being prosecuted for the crimes they commit, this isn't always the case. When someone skates on their charge, it means they were acquitted, often on some sort of technicality.

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Question 27
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If a police officer says that a person has a "GAT," what do they have?
An illegal firearm
Underground gambling ring
A fence for selling stolen items
A felony charge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A gat is an illegal firearm that many criminals will be in possession of and use. The term dates back many decades back to the days of the Gatling gun, which was a predecessor to modern machine guns.

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Question 28
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A relatively common crime in many cities is "B&E." What does it stand for?
Bacon and eggs
Breaking and entering
Battery and evasion
Biking and evading
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

B&E stands for breaking and entering. It is an unfortunately common crime that consists of someone breaking into a building with the goal or intention of committing a crime of some kind.

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Question 29
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When a police officer asks about the "LKA" for an individual, what are they asking about?
Last known address
Little kids around
Last known assailant
Little known area
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of course, one of the biggest jobs a police officer will have is trying to track down suspects to question or arrest. Knowing their LKA (or last known address) can be incredibly beneficial in the search.

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Question 30
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If a criminal is aggressively resisting arrest or is threatening the lives of officers, they might give him a "wood shampoo." What is it?
Throw them down to the ground
Hit them in the head with their baton
Throw plywood at them
A chokehold
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Giving someone a wood shampoo is when an officer will hit a criminal in the head with their baton. While this kind of force isn't often needed, there is the odd situation that will call for it. It is called a wood shampoo as these batons used to be made of wood.

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Question 31
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What does a police officer mean when they say "Tango" to another officer?
A suspect is near.
They want to dance.
They need assistance.
Thank you
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If an officer says "Tango" to another either over the radio or in person, it is essentially that officer saying thank you. Oftentimes, "Tango" can also be the radio dispatcher code for the letter T when spelling out a name.

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Question 32
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When a police officer reports someone as DRT, what do they mean?
Doctor required today
Death remedy tested
Done run and tell
Dead right there
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

DRT stands for "dead right there." It is often mentioned at the scene of another accident or other situation where an individual is already deceased, and thus no life-saving techniques or medical attention needs to be given and focus can be on other individuals who could still be saved.

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Question 33
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If an officer says "over" over the radio, what does it mean?
I am done talking and ready for your response back.
This conversation is over.
Where is your location?
I have arrested the suspect.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Radio talk is incredibly common among police officers, and some of the radios will only allow one side to talk at once. On these radios, it is common to say over when you are done talking, so the other side knows when they can start.

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Question 34
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When an officer is chasing down a criminal, and "splashes" them, what does it mean?
Squirts them with a water gun
Sideswipes them with a vehicle
Tackles them to the ground
Calls the fire department to help
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While stressful and potentially dangerous, foot pursuits do occasionally happen when police are in the line of duty. An officer may need to "splash" a suspect at times, which means to take them down to the ground.

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Question 35
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What does it mean when an officer reports someone is "DIP"?
Dying in peril
Drunk in public
Done inside patio
Death inside patrol
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If an officer is reporting a DIP, it means they have an individual drunk in public. Simply being drunk in public won't normally attract the attention of the police, unless a person is being a nuisance.

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You Got:
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