vice squad

American  

[vahys skwod] / ˈvaɪs ˌskwɒd /

noun

1. a police squad charged with enforcing laws dealing with narcotic drugs, prostitution, pornography, gambling, and other forms of vice.

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vice squad British  

noun

1. a police division to which is assigned the enforcement of gaming and prostitution laws

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Etymology

Origin of vice squad

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

In a 2019 mini-documentary, Cordova claimed that the 5 Star had been targeted by the Los Angeles Police Department’s vice squad for hosting punk rock bands and bringing in the accompanying crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

He was met instead by police who arrested him and threw him into a cell belonging to the vice squad.

From BBC

Saudi Arabia defanged its once-feared religious vice squad and now allows men and women to mix in public.

From New York Times

According to Ms. Rowland, the theater manager was filling in at the box office that night and failed to recognize a pair of vice squad officers, refusing to let them in free.

From Washington Post

In 1952, she was jailed when a box-office worker at a theater where she was performing failed to recognize two vice squad officers who were in the habit of attending the shows for free.

From New York Times