police procedural

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noun

a mystery novel, film, or television drama that deals realistically with police work.

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Also called procedural.

Origin of police procedural

First recorded in 1965–70

Words nearby police procedural

policeman's helmet, Police Motu, police officer, policeperson, police power, police procedural, police reporter, police state, police station, police village, police wagon

How to use police procedural in a sentence

Along with its multicam sitcom and prestige drama modes, there are references to premium-cable soaps about posh women with man problems, like Big Little Lies and The Affair, plus some nods to police procedurals when cops enter the story.
AMC’s Kevin Can F**K Himself Squanders a Thrillingly Subversive Premise|Judy Berman|June 18, 2021|Time
Abrams is a fan of police procedurals and Guy Fieri’s food game shows.
And in her spare time, Stacey Abrams wrote a thriller|Karen Heller|May 6, 2021|Washington Post
Kenya’s first Showmax original series is a police procedural and legal drama inspired by real-life crime stories, reviving debate and discussion around controversies that might have otherwise faded from the news.
Kenya’s first Showmax original is keeping real-life crimes from being buried|Carlos Mureithi|March 24, 2021|Quartz
Correctly estimating time of death looks so easy in fictional police procedurals, but it's one of the more challenging aspects of a forensic pathologist's job.
Scientists ID potential biomarkers to peg time of death for submerged corpses|Jennifer Ouellette|December 26, 2020|Ars Technica

Police officials told the AP that they came out with guns blazing.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yves Albarello, MP of Seine-et-Marne, said the gunmen told police they were ready to “die as martyrs.”
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Smith attended both funerals as a cop and as the husband of Police Officer Moira Smith, who died on 9/11.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The Wizard of Watts is not just about police brutality,” he says.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If Mac had been alone he would have made the post by sundown, for the Mounted Police rode picked horses, the best money could buy.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It happened that I didn't stay around those police posts long enough to get familiar with the technical terms for everything.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Aristide picked it up and began to dance and shake his fist at the invisible police.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
“To say that you would have more sense than the police, would be a poor compliment,” said the old lady.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
A less imaginative man than Aristide would have immediately acquainted the police with his discovery.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for police procedural

police procedural

noun

a novel, film, or television drama that deals realistically with police work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012