What are Police 10 Codes?

Police 10 Codes are signals used by police officers, law enforcement officials, and government agencies to talk in two-way radio communications. The codes are numbers that correspond to words, phrases, and messages that are frequently used in law enforcement work. Also, variations of the codes are used by private citizens in Citizen’s Band (CB) radio transmissions.

Police officers are in constant communication with dispatch, other officers, support departments, the local jail, and county correctional facilities and others. The codes help streamline communication and also add an element of secrecy. Plus, they help shield communications from the general public.

How did Police 10 Codes Originate?

Police 10 codes originated in the United States law enforcement community prior to the Second World War. In 1940, the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APC) published the first official set of police 10 codes. These radio signals were invented to help reduce the use of speech on the police radio.

In addition, the codes enable a certain amount of privacy to the radio transmissions, as one must know the meaning of the signals to understand the discussion.

In 1974, the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials expanded the use of the police radio codes to make them briefer and to standardize message traffic.

Official Set of Police Ten Codes

There is no truly universal or official set of police 10 codes. The meaning of a particular code or signal can vary between one police jurisdiction and another. For example, police departments in the state of California will likely use different codes and signals than the state of Florida, New York, or Texas.

Law enforcement ten signals were intended to be a concise, standardized system to help officers and official talk on the radio. However, the proliferation of different meanings has rendered it somewhat useless for situations where people from different agencies and jurisdictions need to communicate with one another.

In 2005, the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began discouraging the use of ten-codes and other law enforcement radio signals. This was due to their high variability in meaning between departments and agencies. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security may discontinue the use of the signals.

Many police departments around the country are using regular English during radio conversations to ensure clarity in communications. This actually makes things easier on the officer and dispatch, as they don’t have to mentally refer back to the list of ten codes to decipher a transmission. However, this approach does eliminate any secrecy or privacy from the radio transmission.

Variations

Some organizations and municipalities also use other types of police radio codes. For example, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) uses “eleven-codes“, and the Port Authority Police use “eight codes”. These were established in an attempt to have a new and unique set of signals.

In addition, the meaning of the individual codes may vary between police officers and other public service units such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), fire departments, and other law enforcement units.

List of Police 10 Codes

Following is a list of some of the most commonly used police 10 codes. Again, it is important to note that there is no truly universal set of police 10 codes. Usage varies between departments, states, and agencies. If you are aware of any that we may have missed, please post a comment below.

10-1 = Poor reception

10-2 = Good reception

10-3 = Stop transmitting

10-4 = Message received, affirmative, OK

10-5 = Relay this information to (name of a person, officer, etc.)

10-6 = Officer is Busy

10-7 = Out of service, unavailable

10-8 = In-service

10-9 = Please repeat, please repeat the message

10-10 = Negative (no)

10- 11 = Dog case (or other animal)

10-12 = Standby

10-13 = Civilians present and listening

10-14 = Prowler report

10-15 = En route to the station with suspect

10-16 = Domestic problem

10-17 = Meet complainant

10-18 = Urgent matter

10-19 = Return to the station

10-20 = Specify location/my location is (name of location)

10-21 = Place a phone call to (name of person)

10-22 = Disregard

10-23 = Stand by on this frequency (1023 also stands for “on the scene” in some areas)

10-24 = Assignment completed

10-25 = Please report in person (meeting)

10-26 = Detaining suspect

10-27 = Vehicle registration request

10-28 = Arrests / warrants found on driver’s license

10-29 = Arrests / warrants found on the vehicle

10-30 = Unnecessary use of police radio

10-31 = Crime or criminal act in progress

10-32 = Gun / firearm

10-33 = Emergency traffic follows, hold routine messages

10-34 = Radio Frequency open (cancels the 10-33 message)

10-35 = Major crime alert

10-36 = What is the correct time of day?

10-37 = Suspicious vehicle (investigate)

10-38 = Suspicious vehicle (stopping)

10-39 = False alarm, premises were occupied

10-40 = False alarm, no activity, premises appears to be secure

10-41 = Begin watch

10-42 = End of watch. The end of watch signal is used when an officer passes away, either in the line of duty or due to illness. The ceremony is typically conducted by the dispatcher issuing one last call to the officer, followed by a moment of silence.

10-43 = Information

10-44 = Permission to leave

10-45 = Fueling squad car / vehicle

10-46 = Provide motorist assistance

10-47 = Emergency road repair needed at

10-48 = Traffic standard repair needed at

10-49 = En route to an assignment

10-50 = Accident

10-51 = Tow truck needed

10-52 = Ambulance needed

10-53 = Road blocked at (name of location)

10-54 = Animals on the highway

10-55 = Security check (also used for an intoxicated driver)

10-56 = Intoxicated pedestrian

10-57 = Hit-and-run accident

10-58 = Direct traffic

10-59 = Escort

10-60 = Squad in the vicinity, lock-out

10-61 = Personnel in area

10-62 = Reply to message

10-63 = Clear to copy info?

10-64 = Message for delivery

10-65 = Net message assignment

10-66 = Net message cancellation

10-67 = Person calling for help

10-68 = Dispatch message

10-69 = Confirms message received

10-70 = Prowler, fire alarm

10-71 = Gun involved, advise nature of fire

10-72 = Shooting, fire progress report

10-73 = Smoke reported

10-74 = Negative, no

10-75 = In contact with (name)

10-76 = Officer is en route / on the way

10-77 = Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), amount of time until

10-78 = Need assistance

10-79 = bomb threat

10-80 = bomb has exploded

10-81 = breathalyzer report

10-82 = reserve lodging

10-83 = work school crossing at (location)

10-84 = if meeting _, please advise ETA

10-85 = delay due to (reason)

10-86 = officer on-duty

10-87 = pickup

10-88 = Please lookup the present phone number of (person)

10-89 = bomb threat

10-90 = bank alarm going off at (location)

10-91 = picking up a prisoner

10-92 = improperly parked vehicle

10-93 = blockage

10-94 = drag racing

10-95 = prisoner/subject is in custody

10-96 = Psych patient, a person exhibiting crazy or psychotic behavior

10-97 = Check signal (1097 also means “On Scene” in California and other areas)

10-98 = Prison break or jailbreak

10-99 = Wanted/stolen record

10-100 = Dead body found

10-101 = What is your status?

10-106 = Secure

10-200 = Alarm

10-999 = Officer down / officer needs help immediately. This is considered to be an SOS alert that requires immediate attention. In a situation where an officer is down, all available units will respond.

Note: These are sometimes spoken in the format “code number” instead of using the number 10. For example, in some situations, the officer wouldn’t say, “I’m 10-7”, meaning they are “out of service.” The officer would simply say, “code seven.” Again, the style of usage may vary by department.

List of Police Scanner Codes

Following is a list of police scanner codes:

5150 = Mental case

10851 = Auto theft / stolen vehicle

10852 = Tampering with vehicle

20001 = Hit and run – Felony

20002 = Hit and run – Misdemeanor

20007 = Hit and run – Unattended

21958 = Drunk pedestrian on the roadway

22350 = Speeding

22500 = Illegal parking

23101 = Drunk driving – with injuries

23102 = Drunk driving

23103 = Reckless driver

23104 = Reckless driver

23105 = Driver under the influence of narcotics

23109 = Auto Racing

23110 = Person throwing objects at vehicles

23151 = Drunk driving – with injuries

23152 = Drunk driver

In addition to numerical codes, colors are sometimes used as well. For example, in some departments, Code Blue means “emergency situation”, which is how the term is used in hospitals. There is not a universal standard for color codes either.

Use of the Phonetic Alphabet in Radio Communication

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation that is based primarily on the Latin alphabet. The Phonetic Alphabet was devised by the International Phonetic Association as a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language.

The Phonetic Alphabet is used by police officers, cops, military officials and even private investigators and civilians during radio communications. These individuals use the alphabet to ensure clear communication when they talk with other cops, dispatch or other officials. The alphabet is used when communicating a description of a subject, a tag number, or a street address. It is often used in radio communication.

Military Phonetic Alphabet

Officers may use the military phonetic alphabet when talking on the radio. Use of the military phonetic alphabet helps ensure all parties understand the correct spelling of names, streets, buildings, etc. Following is a table explaining the letters of the phonetic alphabet and their pronunciation:

A = Alpha (AL fah)

B = Bravo (BRAH VOH)

C = Charlie (CHAR lee)

D = Delta (DELL tah)

E = Echo (ECK oh)

F = Foxtrot (FOKS trot)

G = Golf (GOLF)

H = Hotel (hoh TELL)

I = India (IN dee ah)

J = Juliett (JEW lee ETT)

K = Kilo (KEY loh)

L = Lima (LEE mah)

M = Mike (MIKE)

N = November (no VEM ber)

O = Oscar (OSS cah)

P = Papa (pah PAH)

Q = Quebec (keh BECK)

R = Romeo (ROW me oh)

S = Sierra (see AIR rah)

T = Tango (TANG go)

U = Uniform (YOU nee form

V = Victor (VIK tah)

W = Whiskey (WISS key)

X = X-Ray (ECKS RAY)

Y = Yankee (YANG key)

Z = Zulu (ZOO loo)

Civilian Phonetic Alphabet

Following is a version of the phonetic alphabet used by civilians:

A = Adam

B = Boy

C = Charles

D = David

E = Edward

F = Frank

G = George

H = Henry

I = Ida

J = John

K = King

L = Lincoln

M = Mary

N = Nora

O = Ocean

P = Paul

Q = Queen

R = Robert

S = Sam

T = Tom

U = Unicorn

V = Victor

W = William

X = X-Ray

Y = Yellow

Z = Zebra

List of Acronyms Used by Cops During Police Work

Additionally, officers may use acronyms to shorten communications. Following are some of the most commonly used acronyms and terms (we’re still building this part of our list, so if you know of any others, please leave a comment below):

ADW = Assault with a Deadly Weapon

AKA = Also Known As

ADW = Assault with a Deadly Weapon

AG = Attorney General

ATF = Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms

B & E – Breaking and Entering

BOLO = Be On the Lookout

CHP = California Highway Patrol

CRT = Code Response Team

CI = Confidential Informant

CO = Commanding Officer

DA = District Attorney

DEA = Drug Enforcement Agency

DL = Driver’s License

DOA = Dead On Arrival

DOC = Department of Corrections

DMV = Department of Motor Vehicles

DEA = Drug Enforcement Administration

DOB = Date Of Birth

DUI = Driving Under the Influence

DWI = Driving While Intoxicated

ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival (also used in general to mean “how much time”)

EOW = End of Watch

FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation

FTA = Failure To Appear

GTA – Grand Theft Auto

OIS = Officer-Involved Shooting

PD = Police Department

PnP = Party in Play. Most often refers to drug use such as meth or ecstasy

RHD = Robbery Homicide Division

SRT = Special Response Team

VIN = Vehicle Identification Number

Other Types of Codes and Signals

Occasionally, departments may use coded names and terms to specify a particular geographic area, such as Patrol 1, Patrol 2, etc. As an example, the code name Patrol 1 might be associated with a particular beat, or a certain section of a city, town, etc.

In other cases, there may be a special designation for supervisors, motorcycle units, swat teams, or even marine units.

Also, departments may use coded names as a representation for different segments, such as Squad 1, Unit 1, Team 3, etc. These may be used to indicate what particular group is responding to a call, or what squad is on the scene of a crime.

Amateur Radio Operators

Amateur radio Ham operators do not use ten-codes. Instead, they use something called Q codes, which are derived from Morse code. The use of ten codes is highly discouraged in amateur Ham radio use, especially among seasoned professionals. However, they are sometimes used by novice operators.

Questions, Comments, and Suggestions

If you have any questions about police ten codes, or if you’re looking for the meaning of something in particular, please leave a comment below. Also, if you’d like to take this information with you in a PDF eBook, please visit the books section.

More Information

If you’re interested in police work, learn about the equipment and vehicles used by cops in the line of duty. Also, view a list of resources related to law enforcement agencies, associations and more.

Disclosure: As an associate with Amazon and BeenVerified, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on a link and purchase the product or service, we receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. This helps offset some of the costs of running our site. Thanks for your support.