In the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) standard list, the 10-48 police code means “traffic control” — an officer directing traffic, or a request for traffic management at a specific location.1The RadioReference Wiki. Expanded APCO 10 Codes It is not a code for a vehicle accident, despite what many unofficial charts claim. And because 10-codes were never fully standardized, the same number carries different meanings at different departments.
What 10-48 Means Under the APCO Standard
APCO’s expanded 10-code list assigns 10-48 to traffic control. Some versions phrase it as “traffic control needed at ___,” with a blank for the officer to fill in the location. That is a very different call from a collision report. Under the APCO system, traffic accidents fall under 10-50, not 10-48.
So if you are listening to a channel that follows the APCO list and you hear 10-48, an officer is handling or requesting traffic direction. Nothing in the standard meaning suggests property damage, injury, or a crash scene.
Other Meanings 10-48 Carries at Some Departments
Not every agency follows APCO. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for example, assigns 10-48 to “detaining suspect, expedite,” which has nothing to do with traffic. Other published lists define 10-48 as “traffic standard repair,” meaning a broken traffic signal or sign that needs attention.
If you heard 10-48 on a scanner, which meaning applies depends entirely on which agency’s channel you were monitoring. A regional sheriff’s office, a city police department, and a state highway patrol in the same area may each use the number differently.
Why 10-Code Meanings Vary Between Agencies
No national standard governs how agencies assign meanings to 10-codes. A Department of Justice report put it bluntly: the codes “vary across jurisdictions” and “were not standardized” from the beginning.2Office of Justice Programs. 10-4 No More? Law Enforcement Agencies Are Phasing Out Old Codes The same report noted that even something as critical as 10-13 means “officer in trouble” in some jurisdictions and “request a wrecker” in others.
That is why websites claiming to give you “the” definitive meaning of any 10-code should be read with caution. The APCO list is the closest thing to a standard, but many departments modified it over the decades to suit local needs, and some built entirely custom code sets. When you search for a code like 10-48 and find conflicting answers, the conflicting answers are usually all correct — each for a different department.
How to Confirm the Meaning for Your Area
The practical step is to check the specific agency whose radio traffic you are trying to understand. Many departments publish their current code lists, and sites that aggregate scanner information often list meanings by jurisdiction rather than giving a single universal definition. A generic internet chart, including this one, can only tell you the APCO default and flag that your local department may use something else.
If the meaning matters — for a news story, a report, or anything you plan to act on — the only reliable answer comes from the agency that transmitted the call.