Police Word Search

A police puzzle of gear, patrol and detective words that prints with its answer key.

Name Date

Police Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 15 words found

WHHUHEPTPROTECT

HLXIAMLTLCORHOL

IWITNESSETNAIBW

SHLCDLIFYORFAUR

TKAGCZNIADDFAVN

LJWDUEDNDCHIEFO

EDWEFVEGSIXCDFF

RIOTFIEEQNFDGXF

WHSESDIRZSDXGSI

WIZCAENPWFEVQIC

ZNGTGNURRKPOURE

KIRIZCSICRUISER

TMZVQEANRJTTWNT

LYEEMRSTUEYIYNA

RUNIFORMERMWZAA

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

UniformUNIFORM
HandcuffsHANDCUFFS
WhistleWHISTLE
CruiserCRUISER
SirenSIREN
TrafficTRAFFIC
OfficerOFFICER
ChiefCHIEF
DetectiveDETECTIVE
DeputyDEPUTY
WitnessWITNESS
EvidenceEVIDENCE
FingerprintFINGERPRINT
ProtectPROTECT
LawLAW

15 of 24 words from the Police list.

Which job on the force would you choose? Explain with three words from the list.

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Easy: words go across and down.

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Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Police Word Search

WHHUHEPTPROTECT

HLXIAMLTLCORHOL

IWITNESSETNAIBW

SHLCDLIFYORFAUR

TKAGCZNIADDFAVN

LJWDUEDNDCHIEFO

EDWEFVEGSIXCDFF

RIOTFIEEQNFDGXF

WHSESDIRZSDXGSI

WIZCAENPWFEVQIC

ZNGTGNURRKPOURE

KIRIZCSICRUISER

TMZVQEANRJTTWNT

LYEEMRSTUEYIYNA

RUNIFORMERMWZAA

UNIFORM, HANDCUFFS, WHISTLE, CRUISER, SIREN, TRAFFIC, OFFICER, CHIEF, DETECTIVE, DEPUTY, WITNESS, EVIDENCE, FINGERPRINT, PROTECT, LAW

Next step Make a word search from your community helpers list Make a police word scramble

All 127 words

Uniform and Gear 16

Badge The metal emblem an officer wears to show authority.
Belt The wide strap at the waist that carries an officer's equipment.
Body camera A small video recorder clipped to the chest.
Chevron A V-shaped stripe worn on the sleeve as a mark of rank.
Clipboard A stiff board with a spring clip that holds a form while an officer writes.
Handcuffs A pair of locking metal rings joined by a chain, worn on the wrists.
Hat What covers an officer's head in full dress.
Insignia Marks on clothing that show rank or membership.
Jacket The heavy outer layer worn on cold days.
Keys What opens the cruiser and the station doors.
Name tag The small plate on a shirt that tells you who the officer is.
Notebook The small pad where an officer writes down what people say.
Radio The handheld set an officer uses to talk with the station.
Shield Another word for the emblem an officer carries, from its shape.
Uniform The matching clothes that mark someone as a member of the force.
Whistle A small instrument blown to direct traffic or get attention.

Show all 127 words (111 more)

On Patrol 24

Backup Extra officers sent to help.
Beat The regular area or route that one officer covers.
Bicycle A pedal-powered way to cover parks and busy streets.
Canine A dog; the trained ones on the force work beside an officer.
Checkpoint A place on a road where vehicles are stopped and looked over.
Citation The official word for a notice ordering someone to pay a fine or appear in court.
Cone A bright orange marker set on a road to steer cars away.
Cruiser A marked car that officers drive on their rounds.
Detour A marked route around a street that is shut.
Escort To travel alongside in order to guard or guide.
Handler The officer who trains and works with a dog.
Helicopter An aircraft with spinning blades that can hover over a search.
Lightbar The row of flashing red and blue lamps on the roof of a marked car.
Motorcycle A two-wheeled engine-powered vehicle some officers ride.
Mounted Riding on horseback while on the job.
Patrol To move through an area on a regular round, watching for trouble.
Radar A device that measures how fast a car is moving.
Roadblock A barrier set across a street to stop or check vehicles.
Siren The rising and falling wail that warns drivers to pull aside.
Speed limit The fastest a driver may legally go on a road.
Squad car Another name for a marked police vehicle with lights on top.
Ten four A phrase from a number code used on air that means the message was received.
Ticket A written notice that a driver broke a road rule.
Traffic The cars, trucks and buses moving along the roads.

At the Station 19

Booking Writing down a person's details after an arrest.
Briefing A short meeting that gives officers the facts before they go out.
Bulletin A short official notice posted for all to read.
Dispatcher The person who answers emergency calls and sends officers out.
Emergency A sudden danger that calls for officers at once.
Front desk The counter inside the entrance where the public asks for help.
Headquarters The main office from which a department is run.
Interview A meeting in which someone is asked what they know.
Jail Where a person is locked up for a short time.
Kennel Where the dogs of the force are kept.
Lobby The public room just inside the entrance.
Lost and found The place that holds wallets, keys and phones until their owners come.
Map A drawing of the streets that shows each area of the town.
Precinct One district of a city with its own police building.
Records The files a department keeps of its cases.
Report A written account of what happened.
Roll call The reading of names at the start of a shift to see who is present.
Squad room The shared office where officers write up their work.
Station The building where officers are based.

Ranks and Roles 23

Academy The training school a recruit attends before earning a badge.
Bobby An informal British word for a police officer.
Cadet A student training to join the force.
Captain The rank just above lieutenant.
Chief The head of a city's police department.
Commander A senior officer in charge of a unit, a division or a district.
Commissioner The official in charge of an entire force in some big cities.
Constable In Britain, the lowest police rank; in the United States, a peace officer of a town or district.
Corporal A rank just below sergeant in some departments.
Deputy A person empowered to act for another, such as the officers under a sheriff.
Detective An officer whose job is to investigate and solve cases.
Gendarme A member of the French national police force that is part of the armed forces.
Graduate To finish training and receive a badge.
Inspector A senior police rank in many countries.
Instructor The person who teaches recruits.
Lieutenant The rank between sergeant and captain.
Marshal A federal or city officer who carries out court orders.
Officer Someone who serves in a police force.
Partner The officer one works beside on every shift.
Ranger An officer who guards a park or forest.
Sergeant A rank above officer, with a shift or a squad to supervise.
Sheriff The top law officer of a county, in most places elected by its voters.
Trooper An officer of a state police force.

Detective Work 23

Case One matter that officers are working on.
Clue A fact or object that helps explain what happened.
Deduce To reach an answer by reasoning from the facts.
Evidence Anything collected that helps show what took place.
Fingerprint The pattern of ridges left behind when a fingertip touches a surface.
Footprint The mark a shoe leaves in mud, snow or dust.
Hunch A feeling that something is true, with no proof yet.
Investigate To dig into the facts of a matter until the truth comes out.
Lab The room where scientists test what was collected.
Lead A piece of information that may point toward the answer.
Lineup A row of people shown to a witness.
Mystery Something not yet explained.
Question To ask someone what they know.
Sample A small amount collected for testing.
Sketch A quick drawing made from a description.
Solve To crack a case by finding its answer.
Stakeout Watching a place quietly for a long time.
Statement A person's own account, written down and signed.
Suspect A person thought to have possibly done something wrong.
Tip Helpful information phoned in by a member of the public.
Trail A line of signs left behind that can be followed.
Undercover Working in secret, in ordinary clothes.
Witness A person who saw or heard something and can tell about it.

Serve and Protect 22

Arrest To take a person into legal custody.
Calm Steady and quiet, even in an emergency.
Citizen A member of a town, state or country.
Community The people of one neighborhood or town.
Courtesy Polite behavior toward everyone.
Directions Help finding the way, which a lost visitor may ask an officer for.
Duty What a person is required to do by a job or a promise.
Guard To stand watch so that someone or something stays safe.
Help To do something useful for someone in need.
Honor Good name earned by doing what is right.
Law A rule set by a government that all must obey.
Oath A solemn promise spoken aloud when taking on the job.
Order A calm state in which rules are followed.
Peace Quiet and safety in a town, which officers are sworn to keep.
Protect To keep people and their belongings out of danger.
Public The people of a town or country, taken as a whole.
Ride along A visit in which a member of the public travels with an officer on a shift.
Serve To work on behalf of the people of a town.
Service Work done for the benefit of others.
Sworn Having taken an oath of office.
Trust Belief in the honesty and fairness of a person.
Warning A caution given in place of a ticket.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Spellings and meanings were checked on 11 October 2026 in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (https://www.ahdictionary.com/) and in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/constable and the entries for the other words). Facts were checked the same day against these English Wikipedia articles: Police ranks of the United States (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_ranks_of_the_United_States), Sheriffs in the United States, Constable, Ten-code and Emergency vehicle lighting. Licence: own work

How it works

Badge, Patrol, Siren, Detective, Officer, Station and Radio are on the list this police word search opens on. Six more lists follow an officer from the uniform to the case, and every word has a clue.

Read the full guide

Six lists, from the uniform to the case

Uniform and Gear has Handcuffs, Whistle and Chevron. On Patrol has Cruiser, Lightbar and Ten four. At the Station has Precinct, Roll call and Dispatcher. Ranks and Roles runs from Cadet to Chief, with Sheriff, Trooper and Constable. Detective Work has Clue, Fingerprint and Stakeout, and Serve and Protect has Oath, Duty and Ride along.

Where four of the titles come from

Sheriff began as shire reeve. Constable is from the Latin for officer of the stables. Lieutenant is Old French for place holder, and Sergeant goes back to a Latin word for serving.

No weapon and no crime is in the grid, so the sheet can go home after a station visit or a career day.
The Chevron clue is about rank: the V-shaped stripes sit on a sleeve, and a sergeant wears three.

Questions and answers

Is the police word search free to print?

Yes, with no sign-up. Print or save as PDF makes two pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle with a name and date line and a writing question, then the answer key.

What words are in the police word search?

127 words and phrases, from Badge and Siren to Fingerprint and Headquarters. The opening list mixes gear, ranks and detective words.

Which list has the police ranks?

Ranks and Roles, with 23 entries. Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain rise in that order in United States departments; Sheriff, Deputy, Trooper, Marshal and Constable name officers of other forces.

Does it suit a community helpers unit?

Yes. Short and Easy has 12 words of 3 to 5 letters, such as Badge, Siren, Radio, Chief, Clue and Help. The community helpers word search covers the other jobs.

All 127 words

Uniform and Gear 16

On Patrol 24

At the Station 19

Ranks and Roles 23

Detective Work 23

Serve and Protect 22

How it works

Six lists, from the uniform to the case

Where four of the titles come from

Questions and answers

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