What are Police 10 Codes and Scanner Codes?
Ten-codes, 10-codes, police codes and sometimes “police scanner codes” are signals that are used by law enforcement and government agencies in two-way voice radio communication as numeric code words for frequently used messages. Ten-codes are also used by private citizens in Citizen’s Band (CB) radio transmissions.
10 codes originated in the United States law enforcement community prior to the second World War. The first set of 10-codes was published by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials in 1940. These radio signals were invented to help reduce the use of speech on the police radio. In addition, they add a certain amount of privacy to the transmissions, as one must know the meaning of the signals to understand the discussion cheap generic doxycycline.
Use of the police radio codes was expanded in 1974 by the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) to make them more brief and standardize message traffic.
There is no truly universal or official set of 10 codes, and the meanings of a particular signals can vary between one police jurisdiction and another. While law enforcement ten codes were intended to be a concise, standardized system, the proliferation of different meanings has rendered it somewhat useless for situations where people from different agencies and jurisdictions need to communicate.
In 2005, the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began discouraging the use of ten-codes and other law enforcement radio signals due to their high variability in meaning between departments and agencies. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security may discontinue use of the signals.
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 uses “eight codes”. These were established in an attempt to have a unique set of signals.
Amateur radio ham operators do not use ten-codes. Instead they use Q codes, which are derived from Morse code. Ten codes are highly discouraged in amateur radio use, especially among seasoned professionals. However, they are sometimes used by novice operators.
List of Police Ten Codes
10-1 = poor reception
10-2 = good reception
10-3 = stop transmitting
10-4 = message received, affirmative, ok
10-5 = relay this information to ___
10-6 = busy
10-7 = out of service
10-8 = in service
10-9 = please repeat your message
10-10 = negative
10-12 = standby
10-13 = civilians present and listening
10-15 = en route to the station with suspect
10-18 = urgent
10-19 = return to the station
10-20 = specify location/my location is ___
10-21 = place a phone call to ___
10-22 = disregard
10-23 = stand by on this frequency (also stands for “on scene” in some areas)
10-27 = vehicle registration request
10-28 = arrests / warrants on driver’s license
10-29 = arrests / warrants on the vehicle
10-32 = gun
10-33 = emergency traffic follows, hold routine messages
10-34 = frequency open (cancels 10-33)
10-36 = what is the correct time of day?
10-39 = false alarm, premises was occupied
10-40 = false alarm, no activity, premises appears secure
10-41 = begin watch
10-42 = end watch
10-45 = fueling vehicle
10-49 = en route to assignment
10-50 = accident
10-51 = tow truck needed
10-52 = ambulance needed
10-53 = road blocked at ___
10-54 = animals on highway
10-55 = security check
10-57 = hit-and-run accident
10-58 = direct traffic
10-59 = escort
10-60 = squad in 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 = message received
10-70 = prowler, fire alarm
10-71 = gun involved, advise nature of fire
10-72 = shooting, fire progress report
10-73 = smoke report
10-74 = negative
10-75 in contact with ___
10-76 en route / on the way
10-77 ETA ___
10-78 need assistance
10-79 bomb threat, coroner’s case
10-80 bomb has exploded
10-81 breathalyzer report
10-82 reserve lodging
10-83 work school crossing at ___
10-84 if meeting ___, advise ETA
10-85 delay due to ___
10-86 officer on-duty
10-87 pickup
10-88 present phone number of ___
10-89 bomb threat
10-90 bank alarm at ___
10-91 pick up prisoner
10-92 improperly parked vehicle
10-93 blockage
10-94 drag racing
10-95 prisoner/subject in custody
10-96 psych patient
10-97 check signal (“On Scene” in California and other areas)
10-98 prison/jail break
10-99 wanted/stolen record
10-100 dead body
10-200 alarm
Police Scanner Codes
Following is a list of police scanner codes:
Code Blue = Bus, Cab in trouble
Code Red = Alarm activated
Code Purple = Gang Activity
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 roadway
22350 = Speeding
22500 = Illegal parking
23101 = Drunk driving – injuries
23102 = Drunk driving
23103 = Reckless driver
23104 = Reckless driver
23105 = Driver under narcotics
23109 = Racing
23110 = Person throwing objects at vehicles
23151 = Drunk driving – injuries
23152 = Drunk driver
News Source: https://www.einvestigator.com/police-ten-codes/