Law enforcement jargon - wikipedia 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. Contents 1 United Kingdom 1.1 Initialisms 1.2 Acronyms 1.3 Abbreviations 1.4 Other 2 United States 2.1 Numerical and alphanumerical codes 2.2 Subject description initialisms 2.3 Code violations 2.4 Initialisms describing situations 2.5 Slang terms for police misconduct 2.6 Miscellaneous abbreviations and descriptive terms 2.7 Miscellaneous acronyms 2.8 Miscellaneous abbreviations 3 Popular culture 4 External links 5 References United kingdom Initialisms ABH : Actual bodily harm ARU : Armed Response Unit ARV : Armed Response Vehicle B&E : Breaking and entering BIP : Uda BOP : Breach of the peace CAD : Computer Aided Dispatch D&D : Drunk And Disorderly DIC : Drunk In Charge ( of a vehicle ) DUI : Driving Under Influence ( Drugs or Alcohol ) ( of a vehicle ) DIP : Drunk In Public GBH : Grievous Bodily Harm IRTC : Injury Road Traffic Collision NFA : No Further Action or No Fixed Abode PCSO : Police Community Support Officer ; A civilian uniformed non-warranted officer. Alternatively a Police Custody and Security Officer in Scotland. PNC : Police National Computer PWITS : ( pronounced peewits ) Possession With Intent To Supply RCU : Road Crime Unit RTC : Road Traffic Collision TAG : Tactical Aid Group TDA : Taking and Driving Away TFU : Tactical Firearms Unit VDRS : Vehicle Defects Rectification Scheme VSS : Victim Support Scheme Acronyms ACPO : Association of Chief Police Officers now NPCC ACRO : ACPO Criminal Records Office ANPR : Automatic Number - Plate Recognition 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 LEO : Law Enforcement Officer 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 NSPIS : National Strategy for Police Information Systems ; a computer system for the management of police resources NPCC : National Police Chiefs ' Council SOCO : Scenes Of Crime Officer ; a forensic crime scene examiner TWOC : Taken Without Owner 's Consent TPAC : Tactical Pursuit and Containment 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 NRRR : No Reply Repeated Ringing ( telephone ) NRRK : No Reply Repeated Knocking ( residence ) PAAOTCO : Please Ask An Officer To Call On... POLSA : Police Search Advisor. POLSTN : Police Station POLACC : Police Accident ( replaced by POLCOL ) POLCOL : Police Collision U / K : Unknown VIW : Victim / Informant / Witness Other Big Red Key : A type of battering ram. Mistaken Harassment : Where a complainant alleging harassment is mistaken about the behaviour of another person because they have read more into that behaviour than was reasonable. 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 ( 1 ). 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 * Note : Names for offenses vary by jurisdiction ; accordingly, several acronyms may mean the same thing ADW : Assault with a Deadly Weapon B&E : Breaking and Entering BFW : Bond Forfeiture Warrant DIP : Drunk In Public DOC : Department of Corrections DUI : Driving Under the Influence ( of alcohol or drugs ) DWI : Driving While Intoxicated DWS : Driving While Suspended DWLS / DWLR : Driving While License Suspended / Revoked DUS : Driving Under Suspension FTA : Failure to Appear GTA : Grand Theft Auto HS : Health and Safety Code LFA : Larceny from Automobile MIC / MIP : Minor in Consumption / Possession ( of alcohol ) PC : Penal Code PI : Public Intoxication UDAA : Unlawfully Driving Away an Automobile UUMV : Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle 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 DRT : Dead, Right There EDP : Emotionally Disturbed Person GOA : Gone On Arrival IFO : In Front Of LKA : Last Known Address LNU : Last Name Unknown PNB : Pulseless Non-Breather QOA : Quiet On Arrival UTL : Unable To Locate Slang terms for Police Misconduct Alley court : Unlawfully endeavouring to force a prisoner to make a confession. Testilying : Police perjury. Miscellaneous abbreviations and descriptive terms Adam Henry ( AH, i.e., `` Asshole '' ) : Ignorant individual slang ( see HUA ) AKA : Also Known As ( Person has assumed name, aliases ) APB : All Points Bulletin APC : All Points County AVL : Automatic Vehicle Location ; allows dispatch to see exactly where a given patrol car is BOLO : Similar to APB, Be On The Look Out ( for ) CDS : Controlled or Dangerous Substance ( Narcotics ) CJ : County Jail Civvies : 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 DL : Driver 's License DOC : Department of Corrections DOB : Date Of Birth DOJ : Department of Justice DV : Domestic Violence EC : Emergency Contact ETOH : Intoxicated ( Ethyl Alcohol ) 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 HP : Highway Patrol 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. MHO : Mental Health Officer 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, particularly in the sense of being unwashed, dirty, or smelly ( 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 TUNE UP : Beating administered to prisoner 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 ) P&P : Probation and Parole 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. Some shows, like `` Adam - 12 '' and CSI will use the criminal code, for where the show is based, to describe a crime. This would be understood by people from that state or others in the know, but would be nonsense for others. The numeric code 187 from the California Penal Code section dealing with murder has been featured in numerous songs, including the gangsta rap song Deep Cover by Dr. Dre and the alternative hip hop - ska punk song April 29, 1992 ( Miami ) by Sublime. It also serves as the title of the movie One Eight Seven. A police drama show called `` Detroit 1 - 8 - 7 '' aired in the U.S. on the ABC network in 2010 - 2011, which made no sense because 187 does not denote murder under Michigan law. External links Killeen Police Jargon Page ( the local police department in Killeen, Texas ) 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 ) Police Glossary ( a large list of police terms and jargon related to arrests ) References Jump up ^ `` Law Enforcement Terms ''. Jump up ^ Evidence in Drugs Cases. Release. Jump up ^ Dorset Police Performance Report 2011 - 2012. Jump up ^ Beggs and Davies. Police Misconduct, Complaints, and Public Regulation. Oxford University Press. 2009. Para 1.39 at p 13. Jump up ^ Video : Exhausted cops do n't give up on the Big Red Key. The Northern Echo. Jump up ^ Police open doors for Children in Need Archived 2015 - 02 - 19 at the Wayback Machine... North Yorkshire Police. Jump up ^ Harris, Jessica. An evaluation of the use and effectiveness of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Home Office Research Study 203. Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. Home Office. ISBN 1 84082 499 9. Page 42. Jump up ^ Michigan Law and Practice Encyclopedia. 2nd Ed. LEXIS Law Publishing. 2007. Volume 4. Page 424. Google Books. Jump up ^ Widick, B J. Detroit : City of Race and Class Violence. Wayne State University Press. 1989. Page 181. Jump up ^ Kenworthy Bilz, `` Book Review : The Fall of the Confession Era '' ( 2005 ) 96 The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 367 JSTOR ; Pitts, Giacopassi and Turner, `` The Legacy of the OJ Simpson Trial '' ( 2008 ) 10 Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law 199 Hein ; Phillip Walters, `` Would a Cop Do This : Ending the Practice of Sexual Sampling in Prostitution Stings '' ( 2011 ) 29 Law & Inequality 451 Hein. Jump up ^ `` Police slang and jargon ''. Concealed carry archive Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Law_enforcement_jargon&oldid=811305346 '' Categories : Law enforcement terminology Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles with dead external links from May 2016 Articles with dead external links from May 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Português Edit links This page was last edited on 20 November 2017, at 20 : 03. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what does bolo stand for in law enforcement
Answer: Be On Lookout