Having been in the cooler in the police department (4)
I believe the answer is:
iced
'having been in the cooler' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'in the police department' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'ICED' is hidden within 'police department'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for iced that I've seen before include "Kept cool" , "Decorated (a cake)" , "Finished off cake" , "Dispatched" , "found thus in freezer?" .)