187

n. a homicide. Subjects: English, United States, California, Police, Jargon, Slang

Editorial Note: Also attrib. Etymological Note: From section 187-199 of the California penal code, which relates to murder.

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Citations: 1993 Jeff Schnaufer Los Angeles Times (May 13) “Police See Deadly Message in T-Shirt” p. 3: While the literal translation of the shirt is the police code for homicide (“187”) followed by gang slang for police (“hudda”), many Valley police, school officials and gang experts see it another way: “Murder a Cop.” 2004 Ryan Wolf KGBT-TV (Harlingen, Tex.) (Apr. 29) “School Fights Lead to Arrest of Students”: She later added, the students in question write “187” about him. It’s street lingo for a homicide. *2004 Janene Rae National Alliance of Gange Investigator Associations “The Newspaper of the Streets”: The number 187 is frequently used in gang graffiti around the United States, and represents the number of the California Penal Code for homicide. Graffiti which includes 187 is literally making a death threat. 2005 Kathy Steele Tampa Tribune (Florida) (Jan. 6) “Graffiti Identifies Gang Activity”: They use graffiti to mark territory but also to send messages. In some cases, threats are made as when the number “187,” a gang’s name and an individual’s name appear. “That is a call to kill the person,” McDaniel said.

Posted 29 Apr 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

An interdating for this one would Sublime’s 1996 song “April 26, 1992”:

It’s about comin’ up and stayin’ on top and screamin’ 1-8-7 on a motherfuckin’ cop.

by Carl Burnett 12 Jul 06, 0315 GMT

Thanks. I’ll see if I can track down an MP3 of it.

by Grant Barrett 12 Jul 06, 0935 GMT

yea and its a good song, its about the riots in LA when many blacks used Rodney King as an excuse to burn down their own neighborhood. mabey if cops would live by the same rules as everyone else they’d have nothing to worry about…. nothing implied of course on the surprise, costa mesa, or LA police departments.

by Colt Laney 16 Mar 07, 0422 GMT

snoop doggs old skool song “Tha Shiznit” also uses “1-8-7 on a muthafuckin’ cop”

by Schwank406 07 Apr 07, 0506 GMT

hell no matz, dat songs ar old mf, OES iz just a street killin’ code, dats all

by OES 27 Apr 07, 0632 GMT

brotha lynch hung says in a song…“187 on the mutha fuckin hook”...or something.

shout out to cannibal da pitbull pup.

by jessica 30 Aug 07, 0626 GMT

i agree with colt

by Chris 27 Oct 07, 0257 GMT

First used in the title track to the Laurence Fishburne movie “Deep Cover” (1992), performed by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

Dre: Yeah, and you don’t stop!
Snoop: Cause it’s 1-8-7 on a muthafuckin cop!