Law Enforcement Acronyms

There is not doubt when you hear or read about law enforcement you will run in to acronyms.  Ever wonder what they all stand for?  Here is a list of common acronyms found in and around law enforcement..  Comment on one we forgot and I will add it.

AAFS - American Academy of Forensic Science
ABC – Alcoholic Beverage Control / American Board of Criminalistics 
ADW – Assault with a Deadly Weapon
AFIS – Automated Fingerprint Identification System
AFMER - Annual Firearms Manufacturing & Export Report (ATF)
AG – Attorney General
AKA – Also Known As
ALS - Alternate Light Source
APB – All Points Bulletin
ASIS – formerly American Society of Industrial Security (now ASIS International)
ASAC – Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge (FBI)
ATF – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
ATL – Attempt To Locate
AUSA - Assistant United States Attorney
B&E – Breaking and Entering
BA - Blood Alcohol
BAC - Blood Alcohol Concentration
BOLO – Be On the Look Out
BOP - Bureau of Prisons
BSPA - Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
BW – Bench Warrant
BWC - Body Worn Camera(s)
CAD – Computer Aided Dispatch
CALEA - Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (1994)
CART – Computer Analysis and Response Team (FBI)
CBOB – Congressional Badge of Bravery - Award passed by Congress in 2008 to honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by federal, state, and local law enforcement officer.
CBP – United States Customs and Border Protection
CCW – Carry a Concealed Weapon
CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access (Sprint, Verizon and U.S. Cellular)
CDR - Crash Data Retrieval 
CI – Confidential Informant 
CID - Criminal Investigation Division (U.S. Army)
CIRG - Critical Incident Response Group (FBI)
CIT – Crisis Intervention Team – Officers specially trained to interact with citizens with mental disabilities or mental challenges.  Started by the Memphis Police Department in 1986 and is now a national program.
CITAC - Computer Investigations and Infrastructure Threat Assessment Center
CJ – Criminal Justice / County Jail
CJIS – Criminal Justice Information Services – Division of the FBI.  CJIS exchanges information with partners with technology and statistical services that span the criminal justice system.
CN - Crisis Negotiator
​CNT - Crisis Negotiations Team
CNU - Crisis Negotiations Unit (FBI)
CODIS – Combined DNA Index System
COINTELPRO – Counter-INTELligence PROgram (F.B.I. domestic surveillance program 1956-1971)
COP – Constable on Patrol (where the term “cop” comes from)
CP – Community Policing / Complaining Party
CRT - Crisis Response Team
CSI – Crime Scene Investigator / Investigation
CSLI - Cell Site Location Information
CSU – Crime Scene Unit
DA – District Attorney
DEA – Drug Enforcement Agency
DHS – Department of Homeland Security
DNA - DeoxyriboNucleic Acid
DOB – Date of Birth
DOC - Department of Corrections
DOJ – Department of Justice
DPS – Department of Public Safety
DRT – Dead Right There
DUI – Driving Under the Influence
DV – Domestic Violence
DWI – Driving While Intoxicated
DWS – Drive While Suspended
EDP - Emotionally Disturbed Person
EOW – End of Watch
ESN - Electronic Serial Number (identification number embedded in a wireless phone)
F/A - Firearms
FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation (member of Joint Terrorism Task Force, JTTF)
FCI - Federal Correctional Institution 
FDC - Federal Detention Facility
FFL - Federal Firearms License (issued by ATF)
FI - Field Interview
FLETC – Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (pronounced Flet-C)
FLEOA – Federal Law Enforcement Officer Association
FOIPA - Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts
FOP – Fraternal Order of Police
FSC – Forensic Science Center
FST – Field Sobriety Test
FTA – Failure To Appear
FTD – Field Training Deputy
FTO – Field Training Officer
GSM - Global System for Mobile communications (AT&T, T-Mobile)
GSR - Gunshot Residue 
GSW – GunShot Wound
GTA - Grand Theft Auto
​HN - Hostage Negotiator
HRT – Hostage Rescue Team (FBI)
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996)
HOBAS - Hostage Barricade Database System (FBI)
IA – Internal Affairs
IACP – International Association of Chiefs of Police
IAD - Internal Affairs Division
IAFIS – Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System – the U.S. criminal fingerprint identification system
IAI - International Association for Identification
IBIS - Integrated Ballistics Identification System
ICAM – Information Collection for Automated Mapping – computer program used by the Chicago Police Department for crime mapping and analysis
ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ICE-HIS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (member of Joint Terrorism Task Force, JTTF)
iDEN - Intergraded Digital Enhanced Network
III – Interstate Identification Index (Triple-I)
IMEI - International Mobile Equipment Identifier (15-digit number that serves as the serial number of the GSM handset)
inCOP - Information Collection on Patrol
INL – Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (U.S. Department of State) – Advises the U.S. Government on development of policies and programs to combat international narcotics and crime.
INS – Immigration Naturalization Service (now part of Customs and Border Protection, CBP, 2003)
INTERPOL – International Criminal Police Organization
IUPA - International Union of Police Associations
JPATS - Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (“Con Air”)
JTTF – Joint Terrorism Task Force
K&A – Knock and Announce
KASPER - Kansas Adult Supervised Population Electronic Repository
KAHN - Kansas Association of Hostage Negotiators
KBI - Kansas Bureau of Investigations
KDOC - Kansas Department of Corrections
LEFG – Law Enforcement Forcasting Group – Helps the Bureau of Justice Assistance anticipate emerging crime trends and identify developments in tactics/technologies.  Composed of law enforcement executives and criminal justice reserchers.
LEISS – Law Enforcement Information Sharing Service – Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.
LEO – Law Enforcement Officer
LEO – Law Enforcement On-line – System that provides a protected means for sharing information with regional law enforcement agencies.
LEOSA – Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (2004) – United States federal law that allows two classes of persons – the “qualified law enforcement officer” and the “qualified retired law enforcement officer” - to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States (w/ certain exceptions).
LEXS – Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program Exchange Specification – developed to translate information shared among different law enforcement systems into a common format.
LKA – Last Known Address 
LPR - License Plate Reader
MCT – Mobile Computer Terminal
MDT – Mobile Data Terminal
MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service (text message w/ photo, video or audio attached)
MNO - Mobile Network Operator (i.e. AT&T Mobility, Verizon) 
MP – Military Police
MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheets
MVA – Motor Vehicle Accident
MVNO - Mobile Virtual Network Operator (secondary seller - Boost Mobile, TracPhone, OnStar and JitterBug) 
N-DEx - National Data Exchange (FBI)
NAPO – National Association of Police Organizations
NBCI - National Bureau of Criminal Identification (absorbed into FBI in 1924)
NCIC – National Crime Information Center
NIA – Non-Injury Accident
NIBIN – National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (ATF)
NIBRS - National Incident-Based Reporting System
NIJ - National Institute of Justice
NIPC - National Infrastructure Protection Cente
NSA – National Security Agency
NSEERS - National Security entry - Exit Registration System (DHS - ICE)
NW3C - National White Collar Crime Center
OAN – Owner Applied Number
OCCA - Organized Crime Control Act (1970)
OD - Overdose
OIS - Officer Involved Shooting 
PAB - Police Administration Building
PBA – Policemen’s Benevolent Association
PBT - Preliminary Breath Test
PC – Probable Cause (a legal standard of proof; greater than reasonable suspicion)
PC – Penal Code
PD – Police Department
​PHI - Protected Health Information (HIPAA)
PI - Private Investigator 
PII - Personally Identifiable Information
PO – Parole Officer / Probation Officer
POB - Place of Birth
POST – Peace Officer Standards and Training
PPD - Presidential Protective Division (US Secret Service; USSS)
PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
​RAP - Record of Arrests and Prosecutions (i.e. RAP sheet)
RCFL - Regional Computer Forensic Laboratories (FBI) 
RICO -  Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
RISS – Regional Information Sharing Systems – program sponsored by the DOJ that supports law enforcement efforts to combat illegal identity theft, drug trafficking, violent crime, terrorist activity, human trafficking, and to promote officer safety.
RISSNET™ - A secure intranet operated by RISS.  Over 102,000 local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement personnel have access.
RO - Registered Owner / Responding Officer
RP – Reporting Party/Reporting Parent
RRM - Residential Reentry Management (BOP)
S/N - Serial Number
SA - Special Agent (FBI)
SA – State’s Attorney
SAC - Special Agent in Charge (FBI)
SAIC – Special Agent In-Charge (USSS)
SANE – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
SIR - Situational Information Report (SIR)
SMS - Short Message Service (Text Messaging)
SO – Sheriff’s Office
SOG – Special Operations Group (tactical unit of the U.S. Marshals Service)
SOD - Special Operations Division (DEA)
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
SOR - Sex Offender Registration / Registrant
SRO – School Resource Officer
SSN – Social Security Number
SWAT – Special Weapons And Tactics
T/LI - Ten-print Latent Inquiry
TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury 
TOC - Tactical Operations Center / Time of Call
TSA – Transportation Security Administration
TSU – Technology Services Unit (FBI)
UCR – Uniform Crime Reports or Reporting
UNSub - Unknown Subject
USA - United States Attorney
USDC - United States District Court
USMS – United States Marshals Service
USP - United States Penitentiary 
USPP – United States Park Police
USSS – United States Secret Service
VICAP - Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (FBI)
VIN – Vehicle Identification Number
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol (Vonage, Skype, Magic Jack)
​WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction

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