Why are police called Cops?

Question

My social studies teacher asked a strange question and the 1st one who gives it 2 him get xtra credit.

Answer 1

Because their uniforms used to have large copper buttons. They were called "coppers" and later "cops" for short.

How's that?

Answer 2

Why Are Police Called Cops

Answer 3

We decided to narrow our probe by searching for "origin of cop" (using quotation marks around the term). We weren't expecting much, but when one of the results turned out to be a page from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary we clicked hopefully.

What we found was basically an advertisement for the Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories. At first we were disappointed, but then we realized why this page had appeared in the search results -- the word "cop" was one of the sample entries.

Around the year 1700, the slang verb cop entered English usage, meaning "to get ahold of, catch, capture." By 1844, cop showed up in print, and soon thereafter the -er suffix was added, and a policeman became a copper, one who cops or catches and arrests criminals. Copper first appeared in print in 1846, the use of cop as a short form copper occured in 1859.

To confirm the findings on Merriam Webster's promotional page we tried the same "origin of cop" search on Google, which lead us Michael Quinion's World Wide Words column on the same subject.


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Answer 4

The term "copper" was originally used in England as a slang word for a police officer. This term was used, however, as a term of abuse by criminals, especially petty street criminals. It was considered highly derogatory by the police themselves. It was made illegal in England to use this term for a police officer, because it was so derogatory.

The term became associated with the metal copper after that law was passed, when those hoods who wanted to abuse an officer would carry a small piece of copper metal in the palm of their hand, then flash it at the policeman. This usage of "copper" got shortened to "cop." The first documented use of the term copper for a police officer is in 1846. The first documented use of the short form cop as applied to a police officer is in 1859.

Even when I was a child in the US in the 1950s, though not illegal, it was still considered impolite to call a policeman a cop. We were taught it was only the bad boys who feared being caught by the police that called policemen cops. (It is only in comparatively recent history that police themselves have accepted and used the word for themselves.)

Answer 5

The word "cop" is an old Anglo-Saxon verb for catch, grab or capture, dating back at least to the 1100s. Some sources say this word related to the Dutch word kapen, with a similar meaning.

A "copper" thus was the noun for "one who cops."

The term "copper" was originally used in England as a slang word for a police officer. This term was used, however, as a term of abuse by criminals, especially petty street criminals. It was considered highly derogatory by the police themselves. It was made illegal in England to use this term for a police officer, because it was so derogatory.

The term became associated with the metal copper after that law was passed, when those hoods who wanted to abuse an officer would carry a small piece of copper metal in the palm of their hand, then flash it at the policeman. This usage of "copper" got shortened to "cop." The first documented use of the term copper for a police officer is in 1846. The first documented use of the short form cop as applied to a police officer is in 1859.

Answer 6

They are called Cops out of total dis-respect. It is a degrading part of people who are rude and show no Respect. The title Cops are used by a group of people who resent the Police Officers.

Answer 7

Cops is short for Coppers.

It is pronounced: Police Officer, Policeman, Policemen, Policewoman, Policewomen, or Officer(s) of the Law.

Answer 8

Cops are called that in the USA because long ago most police forces sported shiny copper buttons on their jackets. Cop is just "copper" abbreviated.

Answer 9

Some have proposed that the reason police officers are called "cops" is because of the New York force's copper badges. The source of this word is much earlier. Several sources say the usages originated in Northern England.

The word "cop" is an old Anglo-Saxon verb for catch, grab or capture, dating back at least to the 1100s. Some sources say this word related to the Dutch word kapen, with a similar meaning.

A "copper" thus was the noun for "one who cops."

The term "copper" was originally used in England as a slang word for a police officer. This term was used, however, as a term of abuse by criminals, especially petty street criminals. It was considered highly derogatory by the police themselves. It was made illegal in England to use this term for a police officer, because it was so derogatory.

The term became associated with the metal copper after that law was passed, when those hoods who wanted to abuse an officer would carry a small piece of copper metal in the palm of their hand, then flash it at the policeman. This usage of "copper" got shortened to "cop." The first documented use of the term copper for a police officer is in 1846. The first documented use of the short form cop as applied to a police officer is in 1859.

Even when I was a child in the US in the 1950s, though not illegal, it was still considered impolite to call a policeman a cop. We were taught it was only the bad boys who feared being caught by the police that called policemen cops. (It is only in comparatively recent history that police themselves have accepted and used the word for themselves.)

Answer 10

Because the first New York police officers wore copper badges.

Answer 11

At one time their badges were made of copper. They were called coppers. Over time the cops has stuck.