I'm Marie-Michèle and I study Police Technology since 2023. I am writing to you to introduce you to various important topics in my future career, and soon yours too.
Several words presented in this glossary represent the tools, terms and organizations with which we work every day. It is therefore important to understand what will be part of our daily life as a police officer.
Accelerant
noun
A substance used to aid the spread of fire.
Example: Stolen accelerants could be used as firebombs.
fr: Accélérateur
Autopsy
noun
Dissection of a body to determine the causes of death.
Example: Police say the autopsy revealed that 30-year-old Brandon Lee Cardinal died as a result of a gunshot wound.
fr: Autopsie
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Public agency
Canada's primary national intelligence service responsible for collecting, analyzing reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security.
Example: Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigates and advises the government on threats to national security. Espionage and foreign interference pose a significant threat to our economic prosperity and national interests.
fr: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité (SCRS)
Delinquency
noun
Minor crime committed by young people.
Example: He has been involved in delinquency for several years now, while abandoning his studies.
fr: Délinquance
discretionary power
The ability to make decisions based on personal judgment or choice.
A power that police office have that allows them to remain silence.
Example: A judge may have discretionary power when deciding on a sentence for a convicted criminal.
fr: Pouvoir discrétionnaire
Domestic violence
noun
Violence toward or physical abuse of one’s spouse or domestic partner.
Example: Dancing with the Stars professional Artem Chigvintsev was arrested Thursday morning in California on suspicion of domestic violence.
fr: Violence domestique
Firearm
noun
A rifle, pistol, or other portable gun.
Example: Anyone wanting to acquire restricted firearms must also take the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course and pass the written and practical tests.
fr: Arme à feux.
Hit-and-run
adjective
A motor accident in which the vehicle involved does not stop.
Example: No, one likes to imagine being involved in a hit-and-run accident, but learning about what to go following one can help you make informed decisions.
fr: Délit de fuite
Hooliganism
noun
Willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others.
Example: A teenager has been accused of hooliganism since he was caught by the police in the act.
fr: Vandalisme
Indict
verb
Formally accuse of or charge with a serious crime.
Example: Thailand will indict ex-security personnel over the deaths of 78 Muslim protesters in 2004.
fr: Accuser
Miranda warning
Concepts of criminal procedure established by the Supreme Court of the United States
A warning given by police to criminal suspects in police custody, informing them of their right to silence.
Example: The court clarified that while the Miranda warning protects a constitutional right, the warning itself is not a right that would trigger the ability to bring a civil lawsuit.
fr: Droits Miranda
Motive
noun
A reason which urges somebody to commit this crime.
Example: The motive that led to his wife's murder was because she cheated on her a week ago.
fr: Motif
Offence
noun
A violation or breach of a law, custom, rule.
Example: He committed an offense by going to the park when it closed at 11 p.m, the rule is “no one in the park after 11 p.m.”.
fr: Infraction
Offense
noun
A violation of a law.
Example: Neither offense violates any federal law.
fr: Infraction
Prosecution
noun
The institution and conducting of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge.
Example: The Government of Canada is taking prosecution legal action against a citizen of the Laurentians.
fr: Poursuite judiciaire
Radar
noun
A system for detecting the speed of vehicles, by sending out pulses of high-frequency electromagnetic waves that are reflected back to the source.
Example: Police radar in school zones now that classes are back in session.
fr: Radar
Search warrant
noun
A court order issued by a judge that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found.
Example: Police have issued a search warrant against a major drug trafficker after new evidence emerged.
fr: Mandat de perquisition
Sûreté du Québec (SQ)
Police organization
The only Québec police organization to have jurisdiction over all of Québec, and performs police activities in the municipalities it serves, road safety interventions and local and international criminal investigations.
Example: Nearly two out of three Sûreté du Quebec, police officers reject the agreement in principle reached earlier this summer between their union and the Quebec government, which included salary increases of 21 per cent over five years.
fr: Sûreté du Québec
Theft
noun
The dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of keeping it.
Example: He committed the theft that no one had anticipated.
fr: Vol
Warrant
noun
A document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice.
Example: One person has been charged and an arrest warrant has been issued for a second in connection with an Alberta Emergency Alert earlier this week.
