Police status codes are short numeric signals that officers and dispatchers use over the radio to communicate an officer’s availability, how urgently to respond to a call, or what kind of incident is involved. They aren’t standardized nationally. The same number can mean different things in neighboring counties, which is why a single master list doesn’t exist and why the only reliable source for your area is your local department’s own published codes.
Why Officers Use Codes Instead of Plain Speech
A police radio channel is shared. Dozens of officers may be assigned to the same frequency, and only one person can transmit at a time without the signals colliding into garbled noise. Every second someone holds the microphone is a second nobody else can use the channel. A long verbal description of a routine call can block an urgent transmission from an officer who needs help.
Numeric codes solve that by compressing a full status update into a one- or two-second burst. The FCC enforces specific transmission duration limits on certain public safety frequencies, some as short as two seconds, so brevity on the radio isn’t just a habit but an operational requirement.1eCFR. 47 CFR Part 90 Subpart B – Public Safety Radio Pool
The 10-Code System
The most familiar police codes are the “10-codes,” a system the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) began developing in 1937. Every code starts with “10” followed by a number, which tells the listener a standardized code is coming rather than a street address or case number.
A handful of 10-codes are used consistently enough across the country that you can rely on them:
- 10-4: Acknowledged or understood.
- 10-7: Out of service. The officer is off duty or otherwise unavailable.
- 10-8: In service. On duty and available for calls.
- 10-20: Location. Often shortened in casual speech to “What’s your 20?”
- 10-29: Check for warrants or stolen status on a person or vehicle.
- 10-33: Emergency, requesting immediate assistance.
Past that small core, meanings diverge quickly. A 10-50 might be a traffic accident in one department and something unrelated a county over. Many agencies have extended the system with 11-series codes for traffic incidents or built custom ranges for internal tasks like refueling, court appearances, or paperwork. Any 10-code outside the common core needs to be checked against the specific department using it.
Status Numbers for Officer Availability
Separate from 10-codes, many departments use a shorter numbering system to track what each officer is doing. These are internally focused and help dispatchers decide who is free for the next call.
- Status 1: Available and on routine patrol, ready for a new assignment.
- Status 2: Available but monitoring by radio rather than a mobile data terminal.
- Status 3: On scene or otherwise tied up and unavailable for new calls.
- Status 4: Scene is under control, no additional units needed.
Response Codes 1, 2, and 3
Response-level codes tell an officer how fast to drive to a call and what emergency equipment to use on the way.
- Code 1: Routine response. Obey all traffic laws, no lights or siren.
- Code 2: Urgent. Emergency lights, typically no siren, no full emergency driving.
- Code 3: Emergency. Lights and siren activated, authorized to proceed through red signals and exceed speed limits within departmental policy.
The line between Code 2 and Code 3 carries real legal weight. A Code 3 response changes how the officer may interact with civilian traffic, and departments set strict internal policies about when it is justified.
Why Codes Vary Between Departments
No federal law requires any particular code set. APCO publishes standards, but adoption is voluntary, and more than 17,500 state and local law enforcement agencies each maintain their own protocols.2Bureau of Justice Statistics. Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2018 – Statistical Tables A code meaning “traffic accident” in one county can mean “welfare check” in the next.
That fragmentation causes problems when officers from several agencies converge on a single incident, which is part of why the National Incident Management System now requires plain language for events involving multiple agencies or jurisdictions. Some departments have gone further and dropped 10-codes entirely, while others keep a small set of familiar codes and use plain language for everything else.
How to Find Your Local Department’s Codes
Start with the department’s website. Many agencies post radio procedure manuals, training guides, or code reference sheets under their transparency or public information pages. That gives you the official current list without any paperwork.
If the codes aren’t posted, you can request them through your state’s public records law. Every state has one, though the names differ: California’s Public Records Act, Texas’s Public Information Act, New York’s Freedom of Information Law. All of them give you the right to ask for government documents. The federal Freedom of Information Act applies to federal agencies and not to local police departments, so the state law is the right tool for a city or county agency.3FOIA.gov. FOIA.gov – Freedom of Information Act Fees vary by state, but a radio code list is short enough that any duplication cost is usually small.
Scanner-hobbyist databases online also compile code lists for specific departments. They can be useful starting points, but they’re user-submitted, sometimes outdated, and occasionally mix in codes from neighboring agencies. Cross-check anything from those sources against an official list before trusting it.
You May Not Be Able to Hear the Codes at All
A growing number of departments have shifted to encrypted digital radio, which makes transmissions unintelligible without authorized hardware. The reasoning cited by agencies is protection of sensitive information such as victim details, undercover operations, and tactical plans.4Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The Who, What, When, Where, How and Why of Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Systems Some agencies encrypt tactical channels only and leave routine dispatch open; others encrypt everything.
Before you invest in a scanner or spend time learning a code list, check whether your local agency still broadcasts on open frequencies. In some cities the answer is already no.
Legal Rules for Listening
Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 2511, intercepting radio communications from governmental, law enforcement, or public safety systems is lawful as long as those communications are “readily accessible to the general public,” meaning they aren’t scrambled or encrypted. Attempting to decrypt encrypted police communications falls outside that exception and carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2511 – Interception and Disclosure of Wire, Oral, or Electronic Communications Prohibited
Owning a scanner at home is legal everywhere in the United States. Using one in a vehicle is restricted in a handful of states, including Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and New York. Some of those states exempt amateur radio operators or credentialed journalists; others require a permit from local law enforcement. Penalties range from fines to misdemeanor charges, and in some jurisdictions the scanner itself can be seized. Using a scanner to help commit or avoid arrest for a crime is a separate offense in several states. Passive listening at home to unencrypted frequencies is legal under federal law and in every state; the restrictions start when the scanner moves into a vehicle or is used in connection with a crime.