The 998 police code is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department radio signal for a deputy-involved shooting. When a deputy transmits it, every unit listening knows that gunfire has involved an officer and that a large, immediate response is needed. It is not a nationwide code. Radio shorthand varies sharply from one agency to the next, and 998 carries this specific meaning mainly inside the LASD system and some neighboring California departments that adopted similar code lists.
Where 998 Sits Among LASD Codes
Within the LASD’s radio system, 998 is grouped with two other high-urgency signals. A 997 means a deputy needs help urgently and a limited number of units should respond. A 999 means a deputy needs help urgently and all available units should respond. The 998 falls between them in number but describes a distinct scenario: shots have been fired involving an officer, which carries tactical and investigative implications that a general call for backup does not.
Why the Same Number Doesn’t Mean the Same Thing Everywhere
A common assumption about police codes is that they’re standardized. They aren’t. Numeric codes used by law enforcement date to the 1920s, when departments rarely needed to talk to officers outside their own agency, so each one built its own shorthand without coordinating. A code that signals an officer-involved shooting at one department may mean something unrelated at another, or may not exist at all.
That fragmentation has caused real trouble during multi-agency responses. A federal review noted that the same ten-code might mean an officer is in trouble at one department and a request for a tow truck at another. Some California agencies that use similar numbering do not assign 998 the same meaning the LASD does. Other departments use ten-codes like 10-33 for an emergency, or their own signal codes entirely. What stays consistent wherever 998 is used is the underlying situation: an officer is in an immediately life-threatening situation involving a firearm.
What a 998 Call Sets in Motion
When a deputy transmits a 998, the response is immediate and heavy. Dispatchers redirect available units to the officer’s location. Supervisors mobilize. Depending on the agency’s size and resources, specialized units such as tactical teams or air support may launch. The goal is to flood the area with backup fast enough to protect the officer and secure the scene.
The response often reaches past a single department. Law enforcement agencies commonly maintain mutual aid agreements with neighboring jurisdictions, which let a department request personnel and equipment when the emergency outpaces its own capacity. Officers responding under mutual aid operate under the direction of the requesting agency’s commander and carry the same authority as local officers while on scene.
Once enough units arrive, priorities shift to establishing a perimeter, locating and neutralizing any ongoing threat, and rendering medical aid. Because an officer-involved shooting is both an emergency and the start of a major investigation, scene preservation matters from the first minutes. Arriving backup officers are typically assigned specific roles to prevent contamination of evidence.
Why You May Hear Plain Language Instead
Federal policy has been pushing law enforcement away from coded transmissions for years. The National Incident Management System, administered by FEMA, requires plain language during multi-agency incidents rather than numeric codes. Starting in fiscal year 2006, federal preparedness grant funding was made contingent on agencies using plain language during incidents involving responders from other agencies or disciplines.
The logic is practical. If a county deputy, a city officer, and a federal agent all respond to the same crisis, coded transmissions create confusion. Plain language means saying “shots fired, officer down” instead of broadcasting “998,” which responders from other agencies may not recognize. Many departments now use plain language as the default for all traffic, while some still use traditional codes for routine internal communications and switch to plain language when outside agencies are involved. Codes like 998 remain in agency manuals, but a scanner listener today is often hearing a department that reserves codes for internal use, or one that hasn’t fully transitioned.
What to Do If You Hear a 998 on a Scanner
If you hear a 998 or a similar emergency code on a scanner app or radio, stay away from the area. An officer-involved shooting scene is chaotic, tactically dangerous, and still unfolding. Officers arriving under extreme stress may not immediately distinguish a well-meaning bystander from a threat.
Do not approach the scene to watch, record, or offer help. Beyond the physical danger, interfering with officers during an emergency response can bring criminal charges. Every state has laws making it a crime to obstruct or hinder law enforcement officers performing their duties, and penalties escalate significantly if the interference involves physical contact or violence. Even well-intentioned actions like crossing a police perimeter or shouting information at officers can lead to an arrest.
If you have information relevant to the incident, call 911 from a safe distance. Dispatchers can relay what you know to officers on scene without you needing to be anywhere near it.