187 (slang) - Wikipedia

On the radio and TV series Dragnet, and other California-set police shows, the characters routinely refer to murders as "one eighty-sevens."

In the song "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" by Sublime, Bradley Nowell used the lyrics "And screamin' 1-8-7 on a motherfuckin' cop," alluding to Dr. Dre's song. The lyrics are related to the riots that ensued after the video evidence and eyewitnesses of police brutality, and the violence that was evident during that year.[8][9]

In the 1999 movie Magnolia, police officer Jim Kurring (played by John C. Reilly), thinking Claudia (played by Melora Walters) is involved in a situation domestic abuse, remarks that things can often go bad if the victim does not speak up, and he does not want to come out to a "one eighty-seven", a reference that Claudia does not understand, but he does not elaborate.

In the 1993 movie Demolition Man, set in the year 2032, the San Angeles Police Department HQ is alerted to a series of automated "Emergency: Code 187" events after the deranged gang-leader Simon Phoenix (played by Wesley Snipes) escapes from a cryo-prison facility, killing the warden and multiple guards in the process. There is confusion among the SAPD officers, as they are not familiar with the meaning of the code which seems to have fallen out of use, until Lt. Lenina Huxley (played by Sandra Bullock) queries the computer system, revealing that Code 187 refers to "Murder Death Kill", stating that the last known offense in the seemingly utopian mega-city was on September 25th 2010.

In the 2002 EP From the Depths of Dreams by the post-hardcore band Senses Fail, there is a track titled "One Eight Seven", with subject matter surrounding murder. It was one of their better known songs, but the band retired it from their live sets in 2013 due to the lyrical themes and Buddy Neilsen feeling that he had personally moved on from the song. In 2019, the band re-imagined From the Depths of Dreams including the song "One Eight Seven", which they had not played live in over five years.[10]

Beatdown hardcore band Sunami have become known for their use of the code in the song "Contempt of Cop," where Josef Alfonso sings "187 on a P-I-G" as an expression of his hatred for the police. The lyric is one of Sunami's most famous, with Alfonso often allowing fans to sing the lyric for him at the band's shows. It has also been featured on some of the band's merchandise since release.

In the post-apocalyptic The FP film series, "to 187" another gang member is to defeat them in a dance battle, sometimes resulting in death.[11]

The TV show Detroit 1-8-7 takes part of its title from the code.