Learning Some Police Scanner Codes
Advantages and Purposes of Police Scanner Codes
Surprisingly a police scanner can help people in many ways, whether it is through excitement or through a sense of safety.
- Firstly, police scanners are quite exciting to tune into. It is a human instinct to want to know what is happening when, for example a police car, an ambulance, or a fire truck is blazing by. With a police scanner, a user would know exactly what is going on.
- Also, it can help a user lessen the impact any potential environmental disasters may cause. For example, earthquakes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes could be immediately responded to by taking the necessary actions with the guidance of a police scanner.
- Potential accidents such as toxic spills or power outages near the user can also be responded to if the user was tuning into a police scanner.
- Neighborhood crimes are also unpredictable. However, with a police scanner, anyone can be constantly updated with the latest news and any precautions that they should take. A collective effort by many people with police scanners in the same neighborhood can lead to a much safer community.
To be able to make sense of many police transmissions, you need to understand the codes they are using to communicate. Not all police jurisdictions and agencies have the same meaning for every code but are most times similar if not the same. If you are trying to listen in on radio transmissions for the FBI, ATF, or DEA, it may be different than for your local police department, as an example.
Police Scanner 10 Codes
These 10-codes were invented to help reduce the use of speech on the police radio and to enable a certain amount of privacy to the radio transmissions.
10-1 Receiving poorly
10-2 Receiving well
10-3 Stop transmitting
10-4 Acknowledgement
10-5 Relay
10-6 Stand-by
10-7 Out of service at ______
10-8 In service
10-9 Repeat – conditions bad
10-10 Out of service, subject to call
10-11 Stay in service
10-12 Officials or visitors present
10-14 Convoy or escort
10-15 Prisoner in custody
10-16 Pick up prisoner at ______
10-17 Nothing for you
10-18 Anything for us?
10-22 Disregard
10-23 Arrived at scene
10-24 Assignment completed
10-26 Holding subject, rush reply
10-31 Emergency, all units stand-by
10-32 Chase
10-33 Emergency Radio Traffic
10-34 Trouble at ___________
10-35 Major crime roadblock
10-36 No further assistance needed
10-37 No rush
10-38 Urgent (silent run)
10-39 Emergency (lights & siren)
10-40 Fatality report
10-41 Send wrecker to _______
10-42 At home
10-43 Meet _____ at ______
10-44 Investigate vehicle
10-45 Investigate occupied vehicle
10-46 Drunk driver
10-47 Auto accident – property damage
10-48 Auto accident – personal injury
10-49 Send ambulance to __________
10-50 Send ambulance – employee involved
10-51 Officer needs supervisor
10-52 Officer needs traffic investigator
10-53 Officer needs traffic control at ______
10-54 Officer needs detective
10-55 Body recovered
10-60 Tower lights out at ______
10-65 Clear for new item
10-66 Clear for cancellation
10-77 No contact at all
10-80 Pick up your partner
10-81 Call your spouse
10-83 Unit at station
10-86 Advise correct time
10-87 Pistol range
10-88 Medical advisor monitor frequency
10-89 Terminate medical patch & establish with medical advisor
10-98 Riot or mass disturbance at _______
10-99 Jail break at ________
Police Scanner I-37 Codes
Code 2 Urgent – no light or siren
Code 3 Use lights and siren
Code 4 No further assistance needed
Code 5 Stakeout
Code 6 Stay out of area
Code 7 Meal break
Code 8 Restroom break
Code 9 Summer uniform
Code 10 SWAT pre-call up
Code 11 SWAT Call up
Code 37 Subject/Property wanted
Signals
1 Armed & dangerous
2 Resists arrest
3 Mental
4 Suicidal
5 Need officer to take report
6 Need officer, have trouble
7 Need officer – urgent
10 Radio gram number
30 No record
31 Wanted
32 Record
32X Dangerous
Some emergency departments such as fire or emergencies might require some codes to be more specific to them.
Medical and Fire Codes
Code 10 Critical Trauma case
Code 20 Acute Trauma case
Code 30 Trauma case
Code 40 Serious case (IV started)
Code 50 Basic transport (not serious)
Code N Newsworthy event
Patient Codes
White Non-critical patient
Red Serious or critical
Blue In or near full arrest
Green Mental
Yellow Expired
Police & Fire Codes
1 No smoke or flames visible
2 Smoke only
3 Smoke and flames
4 Fire under control
5 Noise in building
6 Glass breaking in building
7 Hearing noises
9 Switch to scrambler
10 Switch to information channel
20 You have no relief
21 Make mail run
22 Armed robbery in progress
23 Turn off relay
24 Burglary in progress
25 Hostage situation
26 Bomb threat
27 Swindle alert
Police Scanner 11 Codes were primarily designed to address the needs of the California Highway Patrol and I won’t cover those codes in this article.
Common Police Scanner Penal Codes
Police scanner penal codes are designed to be used during monitoring of or pursuing suspected criminal elements. Among criminal activities monitored with penal codes are homicide, kidnapping, robbery, assault, rape, and illegal possession of arms, among others. Some police scanner penal codes are common to various police departments, while others are exclusive to some departments like fire, emergency services, and the like.
187 Homicide
207 Kidnapping
207A Kidnapping attempt
211 Robbery
211A Robbery alarm
211S Robbery alarm, silent
217 Assault with intent to murder
240 Assault
242 Battery
245 Assault with a deadly weapon
246 Shooting at inhabited dwelling
261 Rape
261A Attempted rape
273A Child neglect
273D Wife beating – Felony
288 Lewd conduct
311 Indecent exposure
314 Indecent exposure
374B Illegal dumping
390 Drunk
390D Drunk, unconscious
415 Disturbance
417 Person with a gun
417A Person with a knife
459 Burglary
459A Burglar alarm
459S Burglar alarm, silent
470 Forgery
480 Hit and run – Felony
481 Hit and run – Misdemeanor
484 Petty theft
487 Grand theft
488 Petty theft
502 Drunk Driving
503 Auto theft
504 Tampering with a vehicle
505 Reckless driving
507 Public nuisance
510 Speeding or racing vehicles
586 Illegal parking
594 Malicious mischief
595 Runaway car
604 Throwing missiles
647 Lewd conduct
653M Threatening phone calls
5150 Mental case
10851 Auto theft
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