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police court
noun
: a court of record that has jurisdiction over various minor offenses (such as breach of the peace) and the power to bind over for trial in a superior court or for a grand jury persons accused of more serious offenses
Examples of police court in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The police court records also describe officers finding the machine gun in Gadson-Scott’s attic that matched the style used in the murder.
—Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 27 May 2023
Complaints were sworn to yesterday for 171 alleged violators of the traffic laws, who will be brought into police court this morning and punished if they are found guilty.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Aug. 2021
Vicente Cirildo Guerra, 43, was arraigned Wednesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting that occurred feet from where the suspect worked as a barber, according to police court records.
—oregonlive, 30 Jan. 2020
Alexander Mullowney, a police court judge in Washington, DC, urged women to protect themselves on the streets and promised them impunity in his courtroom.
—Longreads, 10 Jan. 2018
Godwin, who has a police court record, was sentenced to five months on the chain gang by Recorder Ivey this morning.
—The Root, 3 Nov. 2017
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Word History
First Known Use
1762, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near police court
Cite this Entry
“Police court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20court. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Legal Definition
police court
noun
: a court of record in some states that has jurisdiction over various minor offenses and the power to bind over those accused of more serious offenses
More from Merriam-Webster on police court
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about police court
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