# Police "Sirens". Why?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594 "2003-05-21T17:20:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594/1 "2003-05-21T17:20:17Z")

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A “siren” is a supernatural meremaid-type from Greek mythology. She lured sailors to their doom with her sweet singing.

A Police “siren” is a Gawdawful noisemaker desigened to scare the bejabbers out of you, & get your fat heinie out of the way of the Fuzz when they are in a hurry. On the way to the donut shop, I guess…

How could anybody name one after the other? 😕

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594/2 "2003-05-21T18:08:40Z")

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The sirens song is a sign of impending danger. Put that way it makes sense.

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594/3 "2003-05-21T18:09:13Z")

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Websters: any of a group of female and partly human creatures in Greek mythology that lured mariners to destruction by their singing

Sirens were renowned for their irresistible calls. My guess is that is the origin of the word siren used to describe devices used for calling people in factories etc.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-sirens-why/176594/4 "2003-05-21T18:12:44Z")

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Because “siren” had intermediate meanings, one being:

> [@](#):
>
> 1. a. An acoustical instrument (invented by Cagniard de la Tour in 1819) for producing musical tones and used in numbering the vibrations in any note.

From this was derived:

> [@](#):
>
> b. An instrument, made on a similar principle but of a larger size, used on steamships for giving fog-signals, warnings, etc. Also, more generally, a device which produces a piercing note (freq. of varying tone), used as an air-raid warning, or to signify the approach of a police car, etc.; the noise itself. Formerly, a motor-horn.

So you had the sirens of myth, a musical instrument that had a pretty sound, and finally, a large version of that musical instrument used to give a warning.