# Why do cops speak like this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629 "2018-09-20T13:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/21 "2018-09-20T21:59:57Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I once read a news story where they referred to “the alleged suspect.” Former police reporter here. The misuse of “alleged” is well-known mistake made by reporters and editors, and has its own entry in the Associated Press stylebook. IIRC, it says “Use ‘alleged’ when the issue in doubt is the participants, not the occurrence itself,” or something like that. So “alleged shooter” is saying, basically, “He might be the shooter,” because you can’t really say safely something like that until he’s been convicted. (Possible litigation!) However “alleged shooting” is a stupid mistake. Either someone got shot, or he didn’t. This is not ALWAYS true though; there is such a thing as “alleged rape.” In that case, two people had sex, but it’s only rape, legally, if one of them is convicted of rape. Language in this case gets in the way, as it may not be entirely clear the dispute is not whether they had sex, but whether it was consensual. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/22 "2018-09-20T22:13:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The future? It’s already happened. > > We don’t call them prisons or jails. We call them correctional facilities. > > And the people in them are not guards or prisoners. They’re correction officers or inmates. Not “clients” yet, then? ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/23 "2018-09-21T04:15:05Z")
There seems somewhere to be a list of archaic words that police use by default, but no-one else does. Police always “alight” from vehicles. Indeed, they are always “vehicles”. They “proceed” to places. They “consume” food and “beverages”. People in custody “flee”. Police “operate” vehicles. They “utilise” things, even more than the general abuse of this word in the general community. There is another aspect of police speak that, for mine, is weirder than the uber-formality being discussed above. It is the use of a species of perfect tense that is completely odd, and I don’t know why police do it. A fake example is this:" The suspect _has gone_ into the liquor store where he _has robbed_ the shopkeeper and customers. He _has then fled_ the store and _has hijacked_ the car of a passer-by, before he _has been_ captured." Exaggerated, but you recognise the style. What’s wrong with the plain ol’ past tense? He went into the store, where he robbed the clerk, and fled, etc? Maybe it is intended to add a sense of racy immediacy to the narrative. Maybe the use of the perfect tense structure is thought to be more elevated in tone compared to the much more sensible use of past tense. But it is now so pervasive that it has infected police-beat reporting as well. It is one of the things I have to beat out of law students who seem to think they are supposed to talk or write like that. ISTM this is not just a habit from where I come from (Australia). I have seen it in the UK and US as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/24 "2018-09-21T05:54:42Z")
When loaded on top of the passive voice, it’s an excellent tool for relieving the police of responsibility for their actions. Police officers never kill people, but occasionally they are present at officer-involved shootings that leave a suspect deceased. This seeps into media reports too, which makes it useful for determining if any actual reporting has been done or if you’re just reading police propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/25 "2018-09-21T06:05:25Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > When loaded on top of the passive voice, it’s an excellent tool for relieving the police of responsibility for their actions. Police officers never kill people, but occasionally they are present at officer-involved shootings that leave a suspect deceased. This seeps into media reports too, which makes it useful for determining if any actual reporting has been done or if you’re just reading police propaganda. No, definitely not. I use to review reports and anyone who tried to say something like “and then physical force was applied” would be told to rewrite it. We insisted on specific details. It had to be “and then I applied physical force to the inmate by holding his left forearm with my left hand and his left knee with my right hand.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/26 "2018-09-21T09:39:53Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > More likely- “At this point we **proceeded to take** the gentleman…” Ahem! For British officers, ‘proceeding’ is the term for moving, as in, “We proceeded down Albemarle Street.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/27 "2018-09-21T10:37:10Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Of course. Why would someone in such a profession _not_ want to appear intelligent and authoritative? That’s the very nature of their job. Precisely. I wouldn’t want to go see a doctor after hurting myself and have him tell me “Looks like your leg-bone’s fucked 'cause you were being a dumbass.” ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/28 "2018-09-21T11:17:08Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Not “clients” yet, then? No, they become “clients” when they are “under supervision”. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/29 "2018-09-21T11:25:31Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/30 "2018-09-21T11:57:33Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > More likely- “At this point we **proceeded to take** the gentleman…” > I wonder if anyone’s ever actually said “We proceeded to proceed…” “The Precession [of the Equinoxes] had preceded according to precedent…” – Rudyard Kipling ---
**Author:** ![ohiomstr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/82dd89/32.png) [@ohiomstr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ohiomstr2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/31 "2018-09-21T12:42:27Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Police officers are trained to use neutral, non-prejudicial language in reports and public communications so as to not create the impression of bias or implication, e.g. referring to someone as a “person of interest” rather than “potential suspect”. This is no different than an engineer explaining a structural failure using technical terminology or a physician describing an illness or injury in clinical language so that the meaning is clear and not subject to interpretation in multi-valued colloquial language. In casual conversation police officers use descriptive prose, profanity, et cetera just like anyone else, but when they are caught doing so on camera or audio it can often be made to seem that they are unprofessional, prejudicial, or just lacking in compassion or empathy when engaging in gallows humor with other police. > > Stranger Could not agree more. A properly trained LEO using professional jargon is a good thing. Jargon and precise descriptions are essential in doing the best possible job, whether building a bridge or describing a crime. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/32 "2018-09-21T12:44:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Precisely. > > I wouldn’t want to go see a doctor after hurting myself and have him tell me “Looks like your leg-bone’s fucked 'cause you were being a dumbass.” But they also wouldn’t say “It appears that you have sustained a greenstick fracture of the articular capsule of the distal femur due to the vigorous nature of your alleged activities. At this time I will apply a paste consisting of powdered gypsum and water to the limb in question to stabilize it while the healing process proceeds. Meanwhile, please consume this sucrose-based confection presented on a compressed-paper stick.” People _trying_ to sound intelligent usually come off as people _trying_ to sound intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/33 "2018-09-21T16:19:32Z")
There’s also the matter of consistency, that every officer is singing off the same hymn-sheet as it were and not using their own individual style, words, phrasing and grammar. Otherwise with kids these days we’d be receiving reports in text-speak. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/34 "2018-09-21T16:47:05Z")
Anyone else now have Long John Baldry’s _[Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj_lZ4hkJd8)_ (1971) in their head? Favorite policeman’s line (full lyrics [here](https://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/john+baldry/dont+try+to+lay+no+boogie+woogie+on+the+king+of+rock+and+roll_20856361.html)): “I was proceeding in a Southernly direction, milord When I heard strange sounds coming From Wardour Place, milord” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/35 "2018-09-21T18:26:29Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/36 "2018-09-21T19:40:16Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Ahem! For British officers, ‘proceeding’ is the term for moving, as in, “We proceeded down Albemarle Street.” Fair enough, “proceeded” is the verb for what they were doing. Using my American CopSpeak example “We proceeded to do something”, wouldn’t that be equivalent to your British cop saying “We proceeded to proceed down Albemarle Street”? (I’m seriously asking a silly question.) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/37 "2018-09-21T19:43:44Z")
> [@Lizard](#): > > Former police reporter here. The misuse of “alleged” is well-known mistake made by reporters and editors, and has its own entry in the Associated Press stylebook. IIRC, it says “Use ‘alleged’ when the issue in doubt is the participants, not the occurrence itself,” or something like that. So “alleged shooter” is saying, basically, “He might be the shooter,” because you can’t really say safely something like that until he’s been convicted. (Possible litigation!) > However “alleged shooting” is a stupid mistake. Either someone got shot, or he didn’t. This is not ALWAYS true though; there is such a thing as “alleged rape.” In that case, two people had sex, but it’s only rape, legally, if one of them is convicted of rape. Language in this case gets in the way, as it may not be entirely clear the dispute is not whether they had sex, but whether it was consensual. Thank you for this. Am I correct in thinking that “alleged suspect” is therefore a stupid mistake when the subject is definitely a suspect? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/38 "2018-09-21T19:56:58Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > (I’m seriously asking a silly question.) A question to which I do not know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/39 "2018-09-22T18:45:07Z")
Re: Alleged. I wonder why they even bother. Someone I know was arrested and the arrest was publicised. Now everyone who doesn’t know him is posting online convinced that he’s criminal scum. Yeah I know it’s to avoid litigation, but still… ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629/40 "2018-09-22T20:06:49Z")
A degree of pomposity in police-speak has been noted and mocked on this side of the Atlantic for a very long time, right back to Dogberry and other constables in Shakespeare. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cops-speak-like-this/821629.md?page=3)