How to Understand Arrest Abbreviations

Police utilize codes and abbreviations in their arrest reports.

If you come in contact with police officers or view your official police record, you will encounter various police codes. These codes are simple abbreviations for police departments to quickly summarize the crime you have committed. Although the codes may be difficult to understand, you can figure out what the codes mean through a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Criminal Record File

Instructions

1. Find your criminal record. Your criminal record is stored both your state's police department and by the FBI. You can usually go to your local police station for your criminal record, where they will access either the state police database or FBI database and print out your record.

2. Go to the state police headquarters if the local police station cannot access your reports. The state police department website usually has a form you can print out and mail asking for your criminal record. If not, you may have to go to a branch or the central headquarters in person.

3. View the codes associated with your police report. Your police record is full of police jargon, such as case numbers and arrest dates. In the copy of a specific police report, there will be description box with three- or four-letter codes.

4. Spell out each letter of your full crime. The abbreviations usually are the first letter of each word for your crime or the first few letters in the crime's name. If the crime is "driving under the influence," then the code should read "DUI." If the crime is solicitation, the code may be "SOL." Some codes may not match this method. If this is the case, consult a police representative about the coding of your crime.

5. Contact the probation department of your state if a crime you did not commit is listed. Any code that seems radically incorrect for your criminal record needs to be discussed with the probation department. The department can correct any error found on your criminal record.

Tips & Warnings

• Most police codes begin their codes with the first letter of each word. So, if the code begins with a "D," that could mean "driving" or "delinquent".

References

• Illinois Legal Aid: How to Read my Rap Sheet
• Massachusetts: Disposition Codes
• Your Dictionary: Police Abbreviations
• Illinois Legal Aid: Common Abbreviations on RAP Sheets
• Mass Legal Help: Mistakes on CORIs