police courtn.
/pᵿˈliːs ˌkɔːt/, /ˈpliːs ˌkɔːt/, U.S. /pəˈlis ˌkɔrt/ A subordinate criminal court; spec. a court of summary jurisdiction for the trial or investigation of charges brought by the police; a magistrates' court. Also attributive, as police-court officials, police-court proceedings, etc.Formerly also called police office (see police office n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > summary court for police charges
police court1762
1762 P. Murdoch tr. A. F. Büsching New Syst. Geogr. V. 392 The provincial-court at Bamberg, the pupil-court, the police-court [Ger. Polizengericht], the penal or criminal-court.
1796 P. Colquhoun Treat. Police Metropolis xiv. 418 Petty Sessions or Police Court, established by Act of Parliament.
1823 J. Stark Picture of Edinb. (ed. 3) 152 An application was made to Parliament, in 1805, for a police bill for the city..and a police court [was] opened in Edinburgh, on 15 July 1805..under the superintendence of a Judge of Police.
1839 Act 2 & 3 Victoria c. 71 §1 The several police courts now established under the names of the public office in Bow Street and the police offices in the parishes of..[seven named]..shall be continued.
1851 J. W. Barber Hist. Coll. State of N.Y. 186 The police courts are held here at all hours of the day.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 29 Oct. 2/3 So far the latter have escaped police-court proceedings.
1930 D. H. Lawrence Nettles 19 And Mr. Mead..said: ‘Gross! coarse! hideous!’—and I, like a silly Thought he meant the faces of the police-court officials.
1979 S. Weintraub London Yankees iv. 113 English readers discovered Frederic in the newspaper transcripts from Croydon Police Court in 1898.
2004 News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington) (Nexis) 10 July b2 There were 600 convictions in police court in June.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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