Police Eleven Codes

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police 11 codes
Policeman using 11 codes

In addition to police ten codes, some law enforcement officers, police departments, and security forces create alternative coding systems to make their particular radio communication unique and private.

While most agencies use ten codes, some departments use police 11 codes to facilitate radio communication among officers and dispatchers. As with any coding system, these form a “language” unique to a particular department or unit.

These codes are not as standard as police ten codes and are only used in certain areas.

List of Eleven Codes Used by Law Enforcement Officers

Following is a sample list of the most commonly used police 11 codes used by cops in the United States, primarily during radio and intra-departmental communication. The codes or signals are written with the number eleven, then a dash, and then another number.

When the codes are spoken verbally, they are pronounced simply as eleven and then the appropriate number. For example, an officer might say, “I have an eleven twenty-six, and I need an eleven eighty-five. This translates to, “I have a disabled vehicle and need a tow truck.”

Also, fire departments, emergency medical technicians (EMT), and other emergency responders may use the codes:

  • 11-6 = The illegal discharge of a firearm
  • 11-7 = Prowler
  • 11-8 = Person Down
  • 11-10 = Take a police report / conduct an investigation
  • 11-12 = Injured animal
  • 11-13 = Dead animal
  • 11-14 = Dog bite victim
  • 11-15 = Ball game in street
  • 11-24 = Abandoned vehicle
  • 11-25 = Traffic hazard
  • 11-26 = Disabled vehicle
  • 11-27 = Driver’s license check; please rush
  • 11-28 = Vehicle registration check; please rush
  • 11-29 = Person is clear, no warrants
  • 11-30 = Missing person
  • 11-31 = Need help (Officer needs assistance)
  • 11-41 = Ambulance needed
  • 11-44 = Fatality / Death
  • 11-45 = Suicide / attempted suicide
  • 11-48 = Transport
  • 11-50 = Field interrogation
  • 11-51 = Security check
  • 11-79 = Traffic Collision – ambulance responding
  • 11-80 = Traffic Collision – with a major injury or injuries
  • 11-81 = Traffic Collision – with a minor injury or injuries
  • 11-82 = Traffic Collision – with no injury
  • 11-83 = Traffic Collision – no additional details
  • 11-84 = Direct traffic
  • 11-85 = Tow truck needed
  • 11-86 = Special assignment
  • 11-98 = Meet with…
  • 11-99 = Officer needs help or assistance

Why are Police 11 Codes important to private investigators?

Private investigators may need to understand or decode police 11 codes during certain investigation cases. For example, an investigator may be hired in a civil case to investigate police behavior in a particular arrest. In this example, the police may have used 11 codes to communicate before, during, or after the arrest. Knowing these signals may be helpful in your investigative efforts.

Important Note: We did our best to compile the official list of radio communication codes, but use may vary from department to department. As a result, you may find signals that conflict with our inventory or our list may not be as complete as others you may encounter. Please post a comment below to suggest additional codes.

Questions and Comments

If you have any questions or comments about police 11 codes, please post a message below. If you know of any codes or signals we may have missed, please post them below so we can update our list.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Chicago, is one of few if not the only PD that uses basic language over the radio. They do use codes but, if you listen to them. 95% of radio traffic is everyday talk. Which is….I think best over all, except in bad reception/signal situations. But thought that bit of info would be somewhat helpfull. Anyways…* Cutter408… I’m 10-7…out ∞Insert RogerBeep here∞ lol

  2. Some of the codes could be considered standard across all police departments, while others vary. Some departments use the universal list and add a few unique codes of their own. In some cases, we’ve seen departments that create a completely unique list of codes to serve their own purposes.

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