Paddywagon
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A paddywagon is a vehicle used by police to transport large groups of people who have been arrested.
"Paddy" is a common Irish name and was used as a pejorative with which to insult Irish people. Irishmen made up a large percentage of the officers of early police forces in many American cities, e.g., New York City, which was at one time host to two competing police forces. This concentration of Irish in the police forces could have led to the term "paddy wagon" being created.
Some theorize that the backs of these vehicles were often filled with rowdy, fighting drunkards. Irish people have also been stereotyped in this regard, which may have also contributed to the term.
These vehicles were usually painted black. Archaically in the United States they were also called Black Marias ("ma-RYE-uhs"), a term still used today in parts of Britain for the vehicle that transports prisoners from jail to court. Frequently, screened-in buses are also used for the same purpose. [1] (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bla1.htm)