California Penal Code section 187, subdivision (a) defines murder as "the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought".
[7] 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 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.
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.
[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.