Police Code Abbreviations
49 abbreviations · part of Government & Political Abbreviations
Ten-codes, response codes and numeric penal-code shorthand heard on police radio and in films. Most ten-codes listed here follow the 1974 list of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), but meanings vary widely from agency to agency, and many departments have replaced them with plain language, as federal NIMS guidance has recommended for multi-agency incidents since the mid-2000s. California penal-code numbers such as 187 and 211 are state law sections that became radio and street slang.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10-1 | Receiving poorly | Radio code telling the other party that their transmission is weak or unreadable, suggesting they change location or try again. |
| 10-10 | Fight in progress | Code on the 1974 APCO list meaning a fight is in progress, used to send officers to a brawl or assault. |
| 10-100 | Restroom break | Informal radio slang for a bathroom break, used in some police agencies, trucking and CB radio. |
| 10-13 | Weather and road report | APCO ten-code requesting or reporting weather and road conditions. |
| 10-16 | Domestic problem | Dispatch shorthand for a domestic disturbance call, such as a dispute between partners or family members. |
| 10-17 | Meet complainant | Instruction for an officer to go and meet the person who called police, to take a report or gather details. |
| 10-18 | Quickly | Code meaning a call or task should be handled urgently, without necessarily using lights and siren. |
| 10-19 | Return to station | Instruction or report that a unit is returning to the station or headquarters, or in some agencies is at the station. |
| 10-2 | Receiving well | Code confirming that a radio signal is coming through loud and clear, typically answering a radio check. |
| 10-20 | Location | Code used to ask for or report a location, as in "What's your 10-20?" It is one of the best-known ten-codes outside policing, popularized by CB radio and films. |
| 10-21 | Call by telephone | Request for a unit to telephone dispatch or another party instead of discussing the matter on the radio, often for privacy or sensitive information. |
| 10-22 | Disregard | Code canceling a previous instruction or call, meaning the unit no longer needs to respond. |
| 10-23 | Arrived at scene | Code reporting that a unit has arrived at the location of a call. |
| 10-24 | Assignment completed | Code reporting that a call or assignment has been finished. |
| 10-27 | Driver's license information | Request for a check of a driver's license status, such as whether it is valid, suspended or revoked, usually during a traffic stop. |
| 10-28 | Vehicle registration information | Request for a check of a vehicle's registration and owner details by license plate number. |
| 10-29 | Check for wanted | Request to check whether a person, vehicle or property is wanted, stolen or subject to warrants, typically through NCIC and state databases. |
| 10-3 | Stop transmitting | Instruction to stop talking on the radio, usually so that urgent traffic can use the channel. |
| 10-31 | Crime in progress | Signal that a crime is happening right now, such as a burglary or robbery, calling for a prompt response by the nearest units. |
| 10-32 | Person with gun | Report of a person armed with a gun, a high-risk call that usually brings several units. |
| 10-33 | Emergency | Code signaling an emergency, often an officer in trouble, which clears the radio channel for urgent traffic only. |
| 10-36 | Correct time | Request for the correct time, once used so officers could record accurate times on reports and tickets. |
| 10-4 | Acknowledgment (message received, OK) | Most famous ten-code, meaning "message received and understood" or simply "OK." It is used to confirm instructions over police, trucking and CB radio and has passed… |
| 10-41 | Beginning tour of duty | Code announcing the start of an officer's shift. |
| 10-42 | Ending tour of duty | Code announcing the end of an officer's shift. |
| 10-5 | Relay | Request to pass a message along to another unit or station that the caller cannot reach directly, often because of distance or terrain. |
| 10-50 | Accident | Code for a traffic crash, often followed by letters indicating fatality (F), personal injury (PI) or property damage only (PD), as in "10-50 PI." |
| 10-52 | Ambulance needed | Request for an ambulance or emergency medical services at the scene, relayed by the police dispatcher to fire or EMS dispatch. |
| 10-55 | Intoxicated driver | Shorthand for a suspected drunk or drugged driver, often reported by other motorists calling 911 about a vehicle weaving across lanes. |
| 10-57 | Hit and run | Radio code for a hit-and-run crash, in which a driver leaves the scene without stopping, often followed by F, PI or PD to indicate severity. |
| 10-6 | Busy | Code meaning the unit is busy and should not be given new calls unless urgent. |
| 10-7 | Out of service | Code meaning the officer or unit is out of service, for example on a meal break, off duty or with a broken-down vehicle. |
| 10-70 | Fire alarm | APCO code for a fire alarm or fire. |
| 10-76 | En route | Code meaning a unit is on its way to an assignment or location. |
| 10-77 | Estimated time of arrival | Code meaning ETA, used to request or report when a unit expects to arrive. |
| 10-78 | Need assistance | Request for additional units or help, which may be urgent or routine depending on how it is used. |
| 10-8 | In service | Code meaning the unit is back in service and available for calls. |
| 10-80 | Pursuit in progress | Announcement of a vehicle pursuit, giving the direction, speed and description of the fleeing vehicle. |
| 10-9 | Repeat | Request for the other party to repeat their last transmission because it was missed or unclear. |
| 10-97 | Check signal | APCO code for a test or signal check. |
| 10-99 | Wanted or stolen indicated | APCO code meaning that a records check shows a person is wanted or a vehicle or item is stolen. |
| 11-99 | Officer needs emergency help | California Highway Patrol code meaning an officer needs help immediately, the most urgent call a CHP officer can make. |
| 187 | Murder (California Penal Code section 187) | Section of the California Penal Code defining murder, widely used by police, rappers and filmmakers as slang for murder or killing. "A 187" refers to a homicide case. |
| 211 | Robbery (California Penal Code section 211) | California Penal Code section defining robbery, used on police radio and in slang for an armed robbery, as in "211 in progress." |
| 459 | Burglary (California Penal Code section 459) | California Penal Code section defining burglary, used on police radio for burglary calls, as in "459 alarm." |
| 5150 | Involuntary psychiatric hold (California Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150) | Section of California law that allows police and designated professionals to place a person who is a danger to themselves or others, or gravely disabled, in an… |
| Code 2 | Urgent response without siren | Response code, common in California and the western US, telling an officer to proceed promptly but without lights and siren, obeying traffic laws. |
| Code 3 | Emergency response with lights and siren | Response code meaning respond as an emergency using red and blue lights and siren, allowing the vehicle to proceed through traffic signals with caution. |
| Code 4 | No further assistance needed | Code meaning a situation is under control and no more units are needed, used especially in California and the western US. |