Legal Definitions - perp

The term perp is a slang abbreviation for perpetrator. It refers to the individual who has committed a crime or carried out a wrongful act.

In legal and law enforcement contexts, a perpetrator is the person directly responsible for performing the act in question, whether it's a criminal offense like theft or assault, or another type of harmful action.

• Example 1: After a series of car break-ins in a quiet suburban neighborhood, residents were anxious for the police to identify and apprehend the perp responsible for the property damage and thefts.

  Explanation: Here, "perp" refers to the specific individual who committed the criminal acts of breaking into cars and stealing items, making them the perpetrator of those crimes.

• Example 2: During an investigation into a significant data breach at a major corporation, cybersecurity experts worked alongside law enforcement to trace the digital footprints and identify the anonymous perp who infiltrated the company's servers.

  Explanation: In this scenario, the "perp" is the person who illegally accessed the computer systems and stole data, making them the perpetrator of the cybercrime.

• Example 3: Witnesses to a street fight provided detailed descriptions to the police, hoping their accounts would help officers quickly locate the perp who initiated the physical altercation and fled the scene.

  Explanation: This example uses "perp" to denote the person who committed the assault or initiated the fight, making them the perpetrator of that violent act.