Does anyone know by whom and when the term "cop" was first used?

McGeddon

It dates back to at least the 19th century: "What's a cop?.. That's what the boys call a policeman." (F. H. LUDLOW, Brace of Boys, 1867)

"Constable on patrol" and "copper badges" are both myths.

puffalump

Bobbies where the first police and where part of the first mass police force in London. This started during the Civil War and in the later 1800's police stations where introduce to the U.s, when america was receiving many imigrants and the crime was going up. The first police department was in Boston, than in New york.

T.J.

I agree with lucee and McGedonn.
comes from the word meaning to steal, or capture.

The other theories are just myths

Fistagon

I'm almost certain it was because police officers wore copper badges. People called them "Coppers", which later evolved to "Cops" as we know them. I don't know when the name was first used though. More interestingly, how did the label "Pig" come to be.

arcticraven77

Early 18th century,
variant of cap "to catch," via French caper
or
Latin capere "seize"

According to the Dictionary of Word Origins the noun "copper" is what's called an agent noun, formed from the verb "to cop." It is thought to come from Old French ("caper") by way of Latin ("capere"), meaning to seize or take. It's also the root of our word "capture."

The noun "copper" was first used to refer to a police officer in 1846, according to other sources I've checked. The noun "cop" is a shortened form that dates to 1859

And contradictory to what most believe "COP" is not derived from Constable on Patrol or and other forms of abbreviations

Beau D. Satva

A thug, Pretty Boy Floyd or of that type, referred to J. Edgar Hoover as COP (chief of police), and it stuck.

jennyáƒ¦

I think it means
Constable
On
Patrol
Don't quote me though...and I have no idea when it was first used....

:)

chapo

The term COP was originated back in the late 1800's in england. short for Constable on Patrol...... Their huge buttons have nothing to do with why they are called cops or coppers.

yankidee_1

it originated in London England and it stands for Constable on Patrol

Quasi

i honestly dont know.

mike t

ENGLAND --- MEANING CONSTABLE ON PATROL -- C-O-P THE GUY ABOVE ME COULDNT BE MORE WRONG

MICHELE C

To protect them, when they were known as Bow Street Runners, they wore copper bells on their heads. As constables caps/hats are still of a bell shape, the copper bell term became copper, now reduced to cop.

Anyway the bells were too heavy and the height of the average copper was reduced from 6.4 to 3.5 feet due to the weight of their hats.

old-softy

don't know who said it but it had to do with the bright copper buttons on their uniforms. They were referred to as "coppers" at first and then is shortened to cops.

Aundine

Cops were originally dressed in long, thick trench coats with large copper buttons on them. That is where the term cop comes from. (I believe the Irish first coined the term Copper, then Cop.)

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