Police Radio Codes: 10-Codes (complete list with explanations)
Widely known as the "10 signals" or "10 codes" of police communication over the Police Radio systems, these codes are a set of numerical signals that police officers use to make their radio communications more private, concise, and clear.
Yes, these codes are being widely used by Police Officers around the world. However, the development of these codes, officially known as the APCO Ten Signals, began in 1937, driven by the need to reduce speech on police radio channels, which were limited at the time.
Credit for inventing these codes goes to Charles "Charlie" Hopper, the communications director for the Illinois State Police, District 10 in Pesotum, Illinois. Hopper’s innovation helped streamline communication, allowing officers to quickly and efficiently deliver messages, especially in urgent situations.
The number 10 is used as a prefix for each code, serving as a standard across a total of 148 police codes.
This was particularly important because early police radio systems often had poor transmission quality, causing the beginning of messages to be unclear or lost. To address this, the 10 codes were designed with the number 10 being the default prefix, followed by additional digits and letters, ensuring that the essential information was transmitted accurately.
Now let's explore the codes and their meanings:
Police Radio Codes: 10-Codes (complete list with explanations)
Note: We are not affiliated with law enforcement and do not have access to official documents to guarantee a 100% accurate list of police codes. However, the explanations provided are based on various trusted sources and are generally reliable. Human errors are possible, so please verify the list:
| Code | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 10-00 (10 00) | Officer down, all patrols respond |
| 10-0 (10 0) | Use caution (to be cautious) |
| 10-1 (101) | You are being received poorly - Cannot copy |
| 10-2 (102) | You are being received clearly - Signal is strong |
| 10-3 (103) | Stop transmitting (to disconnect) |
| 10-4 (104) | Affirmative - Understood - Message received |
| 10-5 (105) | Relay message to [person] |
| 10-6 (106) | Busy - Out at call |
| 10-7 (107) |
Out of service (completely) |
| 10-7b (10 7b) | Out of service (personal) |
| 10-7c (10 7c) | Out of service (court) |
| 10-7od (10-7od) | Out of service (off duty) |
| 10-8 (108) | In service (duty time) |
| 10-8ot (10 8ot) | In service (over time) |
| 10-9 (109) | Repeat the last message (can't hear, etc) |
| 10-10 (1010) | Negative - Fight in progress |
| 10-11 (10 11) | Identify frequency - Dispatching too fast |
| 10-12 (10 12) | Standby - Visitor(s) present |
| 10-13 (10 13) | Advise weather and road conditions |
| 10-14 (10 14) | Convoy or escort detail - Suspicious person |
| 10-15 (10 15) | Prisoner in custody - Message delivered |
| 10-15m (10 15m) | Prisoner in custody (mental case) |
| 10-16 (10 16) | Pick up a prisoner - Reply to the message |
| 10-17 (10 17) | Pick up papers - En route |
| 10-18 (10 18) | Urgent - Complete the present assignment ASAP |
| 10-19 (10 19) | Return to station or location |
| 10-20 (1020) | Your location (seeking location information) |
| 10-21 (10 21) | Call by telephone |
| 10-21a (10 21a) | Advise home I will return at [ETA] |
| 10-21b (10 21b) | Call your home |
| 10-22 (10 22) | Disregard - Cancel the last message |
| 10-23 (10 23) | Arrived at scene - Stand by until channel clears |
| 10-24 (10 24) | Emergency backup - Emergency at the station |
| 10-25 (10 25) | Report to [person] - Do you have contact with [person] |
| 10-26 (10 26) | Detaining suspect - Check auto registration |
| 10-27 (10 27) | Request driver's license check |
| 10-28 (10 28) | Check the registration on the vehicle |
| 10-29 (10 29) | Request arrests/warrants check |
| 10-29a (10 29a) | Check wants, subject [PIN] |
| 10-29c (10 29c) | Check complete, subject [NCIC] |
| 10-29f (10 29f) | Subject wanted, felony |
| 10-29h (10 29h) | The hazard potential from the subject |
| 10-29m (10 29m) | Subject wanted, misdemeanor |
| 10-29r (10 29r) | Check wants and record, subject [PIN, CJIC] |
| 10-29v (10 29v) | Vehicle Wanted |
| 10-30 (1030) | Does not conform to rules or regulations |
| 10-31 (10 31) | Crime in progress - in pursuit |
| 10-32 (10 32) | Person with gun |
| 10-33 (10 33) | Emergency, all units stand by |
| 10-34 (10 34) | Open door or window - Riot |
| 10-35 (10 35) | Confidential information or open window |
| 10-36 (10 36) | Provide the current time of day |
| 10-37 (10 37) | Identify yourself - suspicious vehicle |
| 10-38 (10 38) | Traffic stop (no moving vehicles) |
| 10-39 (10 39) | Run with lights and siren |
| 10-40 (1040) | Run silent (no lights or siren) |
| 10-41 (10 41) | Begin duty (start of the day) |
| 10-42 (10 42) | End duty (end of the day) |
| 10-43 (10 43) | Information |
| 10-44 (10 44) | Permission to leave patrol |
| 10-45 (10 45) | Condition of patient |
| 10-45a (10 45a) | Condition of patient - Good |
| 10-45b (10 45b) | Condition of patient - Serious |
| 10-45c (10 45c) | Condition of patient - Critical |
| 10-45d (10 45d) | Condition of patient - Dead |
| 10-46 (10 46) | Motorist assist |
| 10-47 (10 47) | Emergency road repair |
| 10-48 (10 48) | Traffic control |
| 10-49 (10 49) | Traffic light out |
| 10-50 (1050) | Officer welfare check - under the influence of drugs |
| 10-51 (10 51) | Tow truck needed - under the influence of alcohol |
| 10-52 (10 52) | Ambulance needed |
| 10-53 (10 53) | Road blocked - Man down |
| 10-54 (10 54) | Possible fatality |
| 10-54d (10 54d) | Possible dead body |
| 10-55 (10 55) | Intoxicated driver |
| 10-55d (10 55d) | Send coroner |
| 10-56 (10 56) | Intoxicated Pedestrian - Suicide Case |
| 10-56a (10 56a) | Suicide attempt |
| 10-57 (10 57) | Hit and run accident - Missing person |
| 10-58 (10 58) | Direct Traffic |
| 10-59 (10 59) | Escort or convoy - Security check |
| 10-60 (1060) | Squad in vicinity |
| 10-61 (10 61) | Personnel in the vicinity - Not Wanted |
| 10-62 (10 62) | Subject possibly wanted |
| 10-63 (10 63) | Subject positive - Prepare to copy |
| 10-64 (10 64) | Subject wanted - Found Property |
| 10-65 (10 65) | Net message assignment |
| 10-66 (10 66) | Check officer's well-being |
| 10-67 (10 67) | Clear for the next message |
| 10-68 (10 68) | Dispatch message |
| 10-69 (10 69) | Clear to copy transmission? |
| 10-70 (1070) | Fire alarm - Prowler |
| 10-71 (10 71) | Advise nature of fire - Shooting |
| 10-72 (10 72) | Report progress of fire - Gun involved - D.O.A. |
| 10-73 (10 73) | How do you copy - Smoke report |
| 10-74 (10 74) | Negative - Theft |
| 10-75 (10 75) | Severe weather statement |
| 10-76 (10 76) | En route to the location |
| 10-77 (10 77) | Estimated Time of Arrival |
| 10-78 (10 78) | Need assistance - Send an ambulance |
| 10-79 (10 79) | Notify coroner - Bomb threat |
| 10-80 (1080) | Pursuit in progress |
| 10-80a (10 80a) | Assist radio dispatcher |
| 10-81 (10 81) | A traffic stop was initiated - a Breathalyzer request |
| 10-82 (10 82) | Reserve lodging |
| 10-83 (10 83) | Work/school crossing detail |
| 10-84 (10 84) | Advise ETA |
| 10-85 (10 85) | Arrival delay due to [cause] |
| 10-86 (10 86) | Officer on-duty |
| 10-87 (10 87) | Give call letters of your station |
| 10-88 (10 88) | Advise phone number of the officer |
| 10-89 (10 89) | Bomb threat |
| 10-90 (1090) | Alarm going off - Bank alarm |
| 10-91 (10 91) | Pick up subject - Prepare for inspection / Animal |
| 10-91a (10 91a) | Animal - stray |
| 10-91b (10 91b) | Animal - noisy |
| 10-91c (10 91c) | Animal - injured |
| 10-91d (10 91d) | Animal - dead |
| 10-91e (10 91e) | Animal - bite |
| 10-91g (10 91g) | Animal - pickup |
| 10-91j (10 91j) | Animal - pickup collect |
| 10-91l (10 91l) | Animal - leash law violation |
| 10-91v (10 91v) | Animal - vicious |
| 10-92 (10 92) | Subject in custody - Parking violation |
| 10-93 (10 93) | Blockage |
| 10-94 (10 94) | Street racing |
| 10-95 (10 95) | Officer's residence |
| 10-96 (10 96) | Mental patient - Detain suspect |
| 10-97 (10 97) | Arrived at scene - Record information |
| 10-98 (10 98) | Assignment complete - Prison break |
| 10-99 (1099) | Cardiac arrest - Officer held hostage |
| 10-100 (10 100) | Misdemeanor warrant - Out using the restroom |
| 10-101 (10 101) | Ending security check |
| 10-102 (10 102) | Cruelty to animals |
| 10-103 (10 103) | Disturbance |
| 10-103f (10 103f) | Disturbance by fight |
| 10-103m (10 103m) | Disturbance by a mental person |
| 10-106 (10 106) | Obscenity |
| 10-107 (10 107) | Suspicious person |
| 10-108 (10 108) | Officer down - Officer in danger |
| 10-109 (10 109) | Suicide Case |
| 10-110 (10 110) | Juvenile disturbance |
| 10-112 (10 112) | Impersonating an officer |
| 10-200 (10 200) | Narcotics, drugs involved |
| 10-1000 (10 1000) | Felony warrant - Dead person |
| 10-2000 (10 2000) | Police required immediately (emergency calling) |
Also Note: The numbers are written without brackets, I add under bracket numbers just to clarify that the "-" is not included in the number for any of these cop codes.
This means that (for example) the 10-4 is actually 104, not 10 4 or 10-4.
However, you don't have to memorize these 10 Codes as these are solely for Police Radio communication and not for the general public.
Data sources:
- https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/c3a55517-b0f1-46f7-8013-a9fb33696cde/ downloads/94037604272.pdf
- https://archive.froast.io/forum/226822098
- https://www.qsl.net/sp9hzx/img/scannercodes.txt
Disclaimer: This article and list of 10 codes is published here just for educational and informational purposes only!
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