What Does Police Code 1146 Mean?
If you’ve ever heard “1146” crackle over a police scanner and wondered what is a 1146, here’s the short answer: the 1146 police code — properly written as 11-46 — means “Death Report.” It’s the radio signal officers and dispatchers use when a deceased person has been reported and a response is required. Police Code […]
Police Signal Codes vs 10-Codes vs Penal Codes: 2026 Guide
Listen to enough police radio and the numbers start to blur. “Signal 7 on the shoulder.” “10-8, back in service.” “Got a 459 at the warehouse.” All three sound like the same kind of thing, and they aren’t. Police code and signals belong to different systems, each answering a different question, and mixing them up […]
Police Response Codes Explained: Code 1, Code 2, Code 3, and Code 4
Most police codes describe what is happening. A response code describes how fast the officer is getting there. That is a different job, and it explains why the lowest numbers in the system get used all day while many other codes sit untouched for weeks. The short version: Code 1 is routine, Code 2 is […]
Police 10-Codes: Full List and What Each One Means
Police 10 codes are the numbered radio signals American officers and dispatchers use to say common things quickly: “message received,” “what’s your location,” “traffic accident,” “officer needs help.” Almost everyone knows 10-4, and plenty of people know 10-20, but the full list runs from 10-0 into the hundreds, and the meaning of a given number […]
Why Do Police Say “10-4”? Meaning and Origin
“10-4” is the one police code almost everyone knows. It’s turned up in films, in trucker slang, in casual conversation, and in a thousand cop shows. But few people know what it actually means with precision, or the oddly specific piece of 1930s radio technology that explains why it starts with “ten.” This article covers […]
What Does Police Code 10-32 Mean? (Person With a Gun)
If you’ve heard “10-32” crackle across a police scanner, you’ve heard one of the codes that makes officers tense up. In most of the country it means a person with a gun — an armed individual on scene — and it changes how officers approach a call. This article explains what 10-32 means, how officers […]
What Is Code 7 in Police? All Meal Break Codes Explained
Among all the urgent-sounding numbers on a police channel, there’s one that’s refreshingly ordinary: the code an officer uses to go grab lunch. In much of the country, that’s Code 7. This article explains what Code 7 means, why officers have a dedicated code just for eating, how it works in practice, and the surprising […]
What Is Code 4 in Police Radio? Meaning Explained
If you’ve spent any time around a police scanner or a cop show, you’ve heard an officer call out “Code 4” and watched the tension drain from a scene. It’s one of the most reassuring transmissions in police radio. This article explains exactly what Code 4 means, where it comes from, how officers use it, […]
Status Codes of the United Kingdom Online
Have you ever heard a police officer speak on the radio and wondered what those short words and numbers mean? These short words and numbers are called status codes. They help police officers talk to each other in a fast and simple way. In the United Kingdom, police forces use these codes every single day. […]
Basic Police Radio Codes of the United States
Have you ever watched a police show and heard officers using numbers like “10-4” or “Code 3”? These are called police codes. They help police officers talk to each other quickly and clearly. In this guide, we will learn about police codes in the United States and how you can find them easily. What Are […]