# Where does 5-0 come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2000, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876 "2000-12-31T05:49:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElusiveMiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@ElusiveMiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElusiveMiser)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/1 "2000-12-31T05:49:26Z")
As in Hawaii Five-O (a personal fave), or “5-0 in the hiz-ouse!” How did it come to stand for the police? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/2 "2000-12-31T06:07:48Z")
Hawaii is the **50** [sup]th[/sup] state. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/3 "2000-12-31T06:10:37Z")
I should add that I think it was the invention of TV people and not in common use. I could be wrong though as I’m only going on memory and in work so am hitting and running before my manager sees me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NeutronJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neutronjack/32/4134_2.png) [@NeutronJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeutronJack)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/4 "2000-12-31T06:11:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElusiveMiser \* > \*\*As in Hawaii Five-O (a personal fave), or “5-0 in the hiz-ouse!” How did it come to stand for the police? \*\* Because there was this TV show, Hawaii Five-O, that was about the police. Yeah, I think that that’s about as deep as it goes. [http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/fiveofaq.htm](http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/fiveofaq.htm) tells us: > [@](#): > > Is there a real “Hawaii Five-O” – a state police agency? > No. Guidebooks have to keep telling tourists that Hawaii does not and never did have a state police force. > > Why was it called Five-O, anyway? > Hawaii was the fiftieth state in the union. (The original title was “The Man,” but producer Leonard Freeman changed his mind.) ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/5 "2000-12-31T06:25:50Z")
Would anyone watch “South Dakota Four-O?” I don’t think Jack Lord would have looked quite so cool chasing horse thieves all over South Dakota (or whatever the hell S.D. state cops do). ---
**Author:** ![Xgemina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/b5e925/32.png) [@Xgemina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xgemina)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/6 "2000-12-31T06:40:52Z")
Actually that would be the job of the County Sheriff. South Dakota has a Highway Patrol, not a state police. Xgemina, the SDRSD (Sraightdope resident South Dakotan) ---
**Author:** ![hapaXL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@hapaXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hapaXL)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/7 "2001-01-02T19:58:25Z")
on a somewhat related question, in my rap music adventures, i’ve heard west coasters refer to the police as “one time.” I’ve never been able to figure out why. and then i saw a police officers uniform store in LA called “One Time Uniforms.” I would have thought the term was derogatory but the store seems to show that it was created by the police themselves. any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Starbury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-5-0-come-from/47876/8 "2001-01-02T20:42:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hapaXL \* > \*\*on a somewhat related question, > in my rap music adventures, i’ve heard west coasters refer to the police as “one time.” I’ve never been able to figure out why. > \*\* Before it was used to refer to police, “one time” was (and still is) used as an expression to get someone’s attention. So, shouting out “one time” when the po-po comes around your block is kind of like saying “heads up”…toss anything illegal that you have on you, and start running. I believe you can see an example of this in the movie Clockers (though I may have that mixed up with a different film) Anyway, that’s my understanding of the reason for calling the police “one time,” I could be wrong I guess. (BTW, I’m from New Jersey, so its not just a West Coast/LA thing)