A Handy Spanish Vocabulary Guide for Police Officers
Two of the first American cities to employ police officers (called “watchmen” originally) were Boston in 1631 and New York City in 1647.
Since the U.S. became an independent country in 1776, its population and cities have grown exponentially. Sadly crime has grown as well, but thankfully police forces have done so as well.
At this point in history, nearly 13% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish, according to the BBC—and the number is on the rise.
In this vocabulary guide, I cover the basic Spanish vocabulary you need if you’re a police officer. I not only cover useful commands like “Stop right there!” but also everyday nouns that help you express your experience.
Let’s get started!
People that Police Officers Encounter
Police officers encounter all kinds of different people throughout the day. Not only are they in contact with their fellow law enforcement colleagues but they spend their daily hours in pursuit of criminals or turning in suspects.
If you’re a police officer, here’s a list of the kinds of people you deal with on a daily basis:
| English | Spanish |
| police officer | el (la) oficial de policía |
| agent | el (la) agente |
| detective | el (la) detective |
| chief | el jefe o la jefa |
| criminal | el (la) criminal |
| suspect | el (la) sospechoso(a) |
| victim | la víctima |
| sir | señor |
| ma’am | señora |
| miss | señorita |
| convict | el convicto |
| offender | el (la) agresor(a) |
| witness | el (la) testigo |
| thief and/or burglar | el ladrón o la ladrona |
| intruder | el intruso |
| attacker | el (la) atacante |
| partner | el compañero o la compañera |
| perpetrator | el perpetrador |
| driver | el conductor o la conductora |
How to Describe Someone in Spanish
You’ve seen someone suspicious, how can you report this to the HQ in Spanish? Or better yet, how can you talk to this person when they don’t seem to understand when you’re using English? Use some adjectives to specify!
| English | Spanish |
| tall | alto(a) |
| short | bajo(a) |
| strong | fuerte |
| skinny | delgado(a) |
| fat | gordo(a) |
| dressed in… | vestido(a) de… |
| ______-haired | de pelo o cabello… |
| old | viejo(a) |
| young | jóven |
| tattooed | tatuado(a) |
| nervous | nervioso(a) |
| agitated | agitado(a) |
| aggressive | agresivo(a) |
| calm | calmado(a) |
Colors are great adjectives, especially when describing someone’s car or clothing. Check out this article on how to learn colors in Spanish. Surely, they’ll come in handy.
Handy Verbs in Spanish for Police Officers
Actions are the most important part of a language. How do you say “I handcuffed the suspect” in Spanish? Check out this 20-verb list to start off this vocabulary guide strong!
- To arrest – arrestar
- To detain – detener
- To handcuff – esposar
- To run – correr
- To jump – saltar o brincar
- To stop – detener o parar
- To chase – perseguir
- To warn – advertir
- To inform – informar
- To report – reportar o denunciar
- To complain – quejarse
- To serve – servir
- To respect – respetar
- To call – llamar
- To help – ayudar
- To search – buscar
- To provide – proveer
- To investigate – investigar
- To shoot – disparar
- To look out – vigilar
Useful Sentences in Spanish for Police Officers
Every sentence in this article is written in a formal way, since police officers tend to be very respectful when talking to civilians.
Nuestro deber es proteger y servir.
Our duty is to protect and serve.
¿Cómo le podemos ayudar?
How can we help you?
Estoy persiguiendo al sospechoso a pie.
I’m chasing the suspect on foot.
Hay que detener al hombre vestido de azul que va caminando en la banqueta.
We have to stop the man dressed in blue who is walking on the sidewalk.
Señora, buscamos a su mascota por todo el vecindario pero no pudimos encontrarla.
Ma’am, we searched for your pet around the neighborhood but we couldn’t find it.
Infórmenos de cualquier actividad sospechosa, por favor, señor.
Inform us about any suspicious activity, please, sir.
Imperatives in Spanish for Police Officers
While police officers receive a lot of orders from their superiors, they also give a lot of orders to civilians. This next list of verbs, includes verbs that police officers commonly use.
- To step out – bajar, bajarse o salir
- To put down – bajar
- To drop – soltar o dejar
- To hold or keep – mantener
- To put ____ up – subir
- To get on ____ – ponerse de…
- To get in ____ – subirse o entrar
- To stop – detenerse
- To remain – quedarse
- To shoot – disparar
- To stay – quedarse o permanecer
- To show – enseñar o mostrar
- To give or hand – dar
Useful Commands in Spanish for Police Officers
¡No dispare!
Do not shoot!
¡Suelte (o baje) el arma!
Drop (or put down) the weapon!
¡Póngase de rodillas!
Get on your knees!
¡Deténgase allí ahora mismo!
Stop there right now!
Manténgase tranquilo(a), por favor.
Remain calm, please.
Permanezca dentro de su vehículo, por favor.
Remain inside your vehicle, please.
Muéstreme su identificación por favor.
Show me your ID, please.
Traffic Violations in Spanish
Not everything is so action-packed in a cop’s day. Sometimes, police officers might have boring days chatting with their partner in the middle of the road, behind a sign, checking that drivers respect the traffic rules. The fact that it’s not super action-packed doesn’t mean that Spanish won’t be useful for these situations. In this section we’ll learn all about it.
| English | Spanish |
| making an illegal turn | hacer giro ilegal |
| going over the speed limit | ir sobre el límite de velocidad |
| not obeying the sign | no obedecer la señal |
| not yielding | no ceder el paso |
| not using a blinker | no usar el intermitente |
| driving with a broken taillight | manejar con una luz rota |
| driving while using the cellphone | manejar mientras se usa el celular |
| speeding in a school zone | manejar velozmente en una zona escolar |
| not stopping for the red light | no parar cuando el semáforo estaba en rojo |
| swerving | zigzaguear |
| driving into oncoming traffic | manejar contra la vía |
| driving with an expired license | manejar con una licencia expirada |
| driving too slowly | manejar demasiado lento |
| not wearing a seatbelt | no usar el cinturón de seguridad |
Useful Sentences in Spanish
Lo detuve por no usar el cinturón de seguridad.
I stopped you for not wearing a seatbelt.
¿Sabe a qué velocidad iba?
Do you know how fast you were going?
Lo detuve por usar el celular mientras conducía.
I stopped you because you were using your cellphone while driving.
Tendré que multarlo.
I’ll have to fine you.
Por favor, quédese dentro del vehículo mientras reviso su licencia.
Please, stay inside the vehicle while I check your license.
Lo detuve por ir manejando demasiado rápido en una zona escolar.
I stopped you because you were driving too fast in a school zone.
Types of Crimes in Spanish
Picture this: You’ve now been promoted and are a more experienced officer. You have to respond to different types of situations or crimes now. What are the names of these in Spanish? Here they are:
| English | Spanish |
| noise complaint | queja por ruido |
| robbery | el robo |
| armed robbery | el robo a mano armada |
| assault | el asalto |
| burglary | el allanamiento |
| vehicle theft | el robo de vehículo |
| gang violence | la violencia de pandillas |
| obstruction of justice | la obstrucción de la justicia |
| illegal gun carrying | la portación de arma ilegal |
| littering | ensuciar |
| vandalism | vandalismo |
| arson | el incendio provocado |
| fraud | el fraude |
| conning | estafar |
| embezzlement | la malversación |
| gambling | apostar |
Spanish for Police Officers: A Cop’s Kit
We’ve talked about several things in this vocabulary guide. But one thing we haven’t touched yet is the uniform and equipment that a police officer carries. How do you say “badge” in Spanish? You’ll find out below.
| English | Spanish |
| hat | la gorra |
| helmet | el casco |
| sunglasses | los lentes de sol |
| shirt | la camisa |
| belt | el cincho |
| handcuffs | las esposas |
| badge | la placa |
| weapon | el arma |
| pistol | la pistola |
| revolver | el revólver |
| shotgun | la escopeta |
| rifle | el rifle o el fusil |
| padding | la protección |
| pants | los pantalones |
| shoes | los zapatos |
| taser | el taser o la pistola paralizante |
| pepper spray | el gas pimienta |
| police cruiser | la patrulla de policía |
| siren | la sirena |
| bulletproof vest | el chaleco antibalas |
Useful Phrases in Spanish for Police Officers
These are six of the most used phrases by police officers. Learn how to say them in Spanish.
¡Quieto(a)!
Freeze!
You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent.
Está arrestado(a). Tiene derecho a permanecer en silencio.
¡Baje el arma, ponga las rodillas en el suelo y sus manos detrás de la cabeza!
Put down the gun, put your knees on the ground and your hands behind your head.
Step out of the vehicle, please.
Bájese del vehículo por favor.
¿Me podría enseñar los papeles del automóvil por favor?
Could you show me the paperwork of the car, please?
¡No se mueva!
Do not move!
Slang Spanish Words That Mean “Police Officer”
As you know, Spanish varies wildly from place to place. Here are some colloquial ways in which Hispanics call police officers in certain countries:
- Mexico: el tamarindo
- Guatemala: la tira, la polaca
- Argentina: la cana, la yuta
- Chile: los pacos, las tortugas ninjas
- Spain: el picoleto, los azules
- Colombia: el tombo
Practice Your Spanish With a Native Speaker
Now that you’ve learned some useful but basic Spanish, how about taking it to the next level? Sign up for a free class with one of our friendly Guatemalan teachers who’ll teach you everything you need to know about law enforcement vocabulary in Spanish as well as other useful topics. Start speaking fluent Spanish today!
Ready to learn more Spanish vocabulary? Check these out!
- 50 Useful Spanish Transition Words for Everyday Speech and Writing
- Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You)
- All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
- Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
- The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish
- A Guide to Double Negatives in Spanish
- Ver Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF
- Common Irregular Informal Commands in Spanish
- 9 Tips for Learning How to Learn Two or More Languages at Once - January 20, 2023
- The History and Tradition of Las Cabañuelas - December 26, 2022
- 10 Ways to Learn How to Think in Spanish - December 25, 2022
