1. Vocabulary: crime and Punishment
Vocabulary
part of speech Meaning Example sentence
arrest My partner arrested the man who set fire to
take into police control
verb the building.
assailant
person who assaults or attacks Did you see the assailant run away?
noun
at large (on the
loose) I'm afraid that the man who robbed the bank
not caught, running free
preposition + is still at large.
adjective
armed and
is carrying a weapon and has a Do not approach the thief if you see him.
dangerous
violent background He is considered armed and dangerous.
adjective
back-up police that are called in to support or We're calling for back up now that we
noun help know she has a gun.
bail large amount of money that someone Your husband's bail is posted at 20, 000
noun pays as a promise to appear in court dollars.
heavy stick that police use for
baton (night stick) No, we don't carry guns. We only have
controlling crowds or defending
noun batons.
themselves
book someone We're taking your brother down to the
register someone as a criminal
verb station to book him.
break into enter a residence, car, or business Do you have any idea who would have
verb illegally broken into your car?
burglar a person who breaks into a home or We think the burglar got in through your
noun business and steals items chimney.
cell We'll have to keep you in a cell until
individual room in a jail/prison
noun someone comes to pay your bail.
convict a person who is doing (or supposed to Please be aware that there is a convict on
noun be doing) jailtime the loose.
cop/copper
police officer (common slang) Did somebody here call the cops?
noun
criminal record a file that lists all of the crimes a We don't allow anyone with a criminal
noun person has committed record into our country.

2. crime scene Please stay outside the yellow tape. This is
the place where a crime happened
noun a crime scene.
cruiser (squad car) Please step out of your vehicle and get into
police car
noun the police cruiser.
(in) custody You will be happy to know that we have
under police control
noun taken the kidnapper into custody.
(Driving Under the Influence/Driving
Your record says that you have two
DUI/DWI while Intoxicated). Driving after
previous DUIs.
drinking too much alcohol
detective police officer responsible for solving The detective is going to ask you a few
noun crime questions about the man's appearance.
do time receive punishment for a crime by You won't be required to do any time but
verb + noun spending time in jail you will have to pay a fine.
domestic dispute argument/trouble in the home(often We've had a number of calls reporting a
adjective + noun leads to violence) domestic dispute in your hotel room.
escape If you try to escape we will have to restrain
get away from a holding place
verb you with handcuffs.
felony Murder is considered a felony and is
a major crime (e.g. murder)
noun punishable by life in prison.
fine money that a person pays for You can get charged a large fine for
noun breaking a law speeding in a school zone.
fingerprints marks left by fingers that identify a We're going to have to check your personal
noun person belongings for fingerprints.
firearms It is illegal to carry unregistered firearms
weapons that shoot
noun such as rifles and pistols.
gang a group of people often associated Stay away from this area at night as there is
noun with crime and drugs a lot of gang activity.
guilty responsible for a crime, deserving of You will be considered innocent until you
adjective punishment are proven guilty.
metal rings that attach to wrists to We put your boyfriend in handcuffs,
handcuffs
keep criminals (or the accused)from because we saw him climbing through your
noun
escaping window and thought he was an intruder.
We'll believe you are innocent when you
innocent
not responsible for the crime show us your receipt for the items in the
adjective
bag.
intruder a person who enters a home or Someone called to report an intruder on
noun business illegally the third floor.
jail (prison) The guards will be patrolling the prison all
a place where criminals are confined
noun day long.
Stealing a road sign is considered a
misdemeanor a minor crime (punishment is usually
misdemeanor,but is punishable by a large
noun a fine or less than one year in jail)
fine.

3. a call to the police to complain of
noise complaint Two of your neighbours have made a noise
disturbing noise (usually music or a
noun complaint tonight.
party)
another officer that a policeman I'm going to get you to tell your story to my
partner noun
drives and works with partner.
patrol (on patrol) We always patrol the downtown core on
observe and protect an area
verb the weekends.
perpetrator
person who committed the crime The perpetrator is still at large.
noun
pickpocket a thief who steals from people's
Beware of pickpockets on the subway.
noun pockets in transit or in crowds
pistol Our local cops carry pistols but rarely use
a hand held firearm
noun them.
pursuit We are in pursuit of a man in a green
the act of searching for
noun jacket and orange pants.
radio wave transmission that helps
radar According to our radar you were driving
police track cars and map crime
noun/adjective well above the speed limit.
scenes
robbery theft; taking something that does not We have twenty officers investigating the
noun belong to you, often with force bank robbery.
Your license shows a clean driving record
speeding ticket a fine given to a driver who gets
except for one speeding ticket from five
noun caught driving beyond the speed limit
years ago.
steal to take something that does not
Do you know who stole your wallet?
verb belong to you
street crime Don't give the beggars any money. You will
crime such as drugs and prostitution
noun only be promoting street crime.
thief
somebody who steals We have found the thief who stole your car.
noun
walkie-talkie My partner told me your license plate over
hand held radio each partner carries
noun his walkie-talkie.
wanted A man from your hotel is wanted for his
being searched for by police
adjective involvement in a murder.
witness Three people witnessed the murder but they
to see something happen
verb are afraid to speak.
young offender
(juvenile a minor who commits a crime Your punishment will be less severe
delinquent) (usually under age of 18) because you are a young offender.
noun