Scansf

Police Scanner Reference

Purpose

Gain some fluency with police radio codes and common abbreviations or slang.

Workflow

When possible, if you hear a new code, toss it on the "Heard at least once" list.
As a call becomes common, transfer it to the relevant list.

Scan and Scan Code Sources

Common Radio Codes

Unknown
- "273.5 was observed."
- "I'll get my own" or "We'll get our own" - Maybe case number. Common for traffic stop (585).
- "if you want to break each other one at a time apparently they are serving again up here."
- 908 - Muni bus inspection program (quizlet)
  - Could be related to indecent exposure.
  - Maybe related to suspicious person?
- 10-04E - aka 'ten four edward'
- one four edward for a 415 on 19th avenue - 14e?
- '13 edward' - maybe 13e - no code for that
  - I think it might be the station, e.g. 'charlie 15 edward to 13 edward'
  - 10-13 is 'advise conditions at scene'
- 'david one six edward' - maybe d-16e
  - note: 10-16 is pick up prisoner
- 'david twelve edward, can you put us on this run, we are 98'
- 'henry eleven edward' we have that car that was on mission
- '115' on the close 5 of that
- i will give result to the '110' - 'three ida one ten'
- 'charlie 12 edwards can you copy a plate'
- What is a "one five edward"?
  - "ida one five edward"
Serious
- Code 3 - Emergency/lights and siren "I'm going to be code 3 to this run."
- Code 33 - Mobile Emergency - Clear this radio channel
- 10-30 - Person/Vehicle wanted/stolen (ex: I don't know if that is 10-30 or not)
- 152 - Drunk Driver
- 211 - Robbery (holdup)
- 212 - Strongarm
- 216 - Shots fired
- 217 - Shooting
- 221 - Person with gun
- 240 - Assault
- 418 - Fight or dispute, no weapons
- 918 - Person screaming for help
- 602 - Breaking and entering
- 914 - Person down (ex. I have a 914 bleeding but stable)
Heard at least once
- 10-07I - Out of service (investigation)
- 10-09 - Repeat last transmission
- 10-10A - Off duty, at home
- 10-26 - Clear (example: "still waiting on the 10-26")
- 10-28 - vehicle registration info (ex. "The 10-28 is going to be (car plate letters) etc..."
- 10-29 or 29- Check for warrants (ex. "can you run a 29 for me)
- 10-49 - Proceed to ______
- Code 1 - Do so at your convenience
- 207 - Kidnapping
- 311 - indecent exposure
- 407 - Prisoner transport
- 459 - Robbery (suspect tried to break the window then ran off)
- 488 - petty theft
- 496 - Stolen property receiving (example: phone)
- 518 - Vehicle accident no injury
- 519 - Vehicle accident with injury
- 520 - Accident (non-vehicle) (example: like going off the road)
- 529 - Explosion
- 588 - Driveway violation - tow
- 594 - Malicious Mischief (vandalism)
- 601 - Trespassers
- 800 - Mentally-disturbed person
- 802 - Coroner's Case (unexpected or possibility of a law being broken)
- 851 - Stolen vehicle
- 852 - Auto boost/strip (heard a 852 misreported as a 459)
- 809 - Missing Person
- 904 - Meet with officer non-emergency (example: marin county warrant search)
- 905 - Meet with city or public service employee (fire dept etc)
- 910 - Check on well-being
- 913 - Complaint Unknown
- 914 - Person down
Very Frequent
- 10-01 - Reception is poor
- 10-08 - In service, ready for assignment
- 10-22 or 22 - Disregard that last assignment (example: "22 all that")
- 408 - Send ambulance (example: they are sending a 408)
- 410 - Requested assistance responding (ex: 'request 408' 'confirm you have a 410')
- 415 - Noise complaint
- 585 - Traffic stop
- 587 - Parking violation
- 811 - Intoxicated person (question: is this ever used for a person in vehicle? 152?)
- 901 - Call ______ (example: "can you 901 my cell", "give me a 901 please")
- 909 - Citizen requests interviews
- 915 - Homeless (call for service) - slang refers to people chronically city-camping
- 916 - Suspicious person in vehicle
- 917 - Suspicious person
- 10-32 or 32 - Person/vehicle clear - '32 all around'
- 10-98 or 98 - Available for assignment
- 11-98 or 98 - Meet: ______ (possible example: I am 98 to you? are you still at X?)
Every Transmission
- 10-20 or 20 - Location (example: Your 20?)
- 10-04 - Copy/Ok
- Code 4 - No further assistance needed
- 10-97 or 97 or nine seven - Arrived at scene, or at the scene (ex. "Are you still 97 on mission?")
Slang
- 302 - protesters, protest, also called a 'demo'
- CAD - Computer Aided Dispatch (ex: "Can you put another plate in CAD for me?")
- Operator on scansf used 470/fraud code to portray repeat suicide threat offender "do you think he is really 801 or is he 470?"
- X - female (from scansf sfpd radio codes, typically "X yelling for help"
- 418 - any dispute people are having?
  1. mostly verbal disputes
  2. fistfights
  3. someone disputes someone elses behavior? (complaint about burnouts?)
- LoJack - stolen vehicle recovery system
  - This is a system that consumers install on their vehicle and which can be used by police for recovering a vehicle if stolen
- G.O.A - gone on arrival (example: person of interest was G.O.A.)
- A.M.F. - probably very intoxicated and unable to move: 'adios mother f---er'
- R.P. - relevant person (usually not a suspect)
- R.O. - registered owner (usually of a stolen vehicle)
- O.M. - oriental male
- B.M. - black male
- white male - white male
- L.M. - latin male - also apparently are LMAs (ex. five LMAs in a red honda)
- the city - slang for san francisco in registration data (address etc.)
- merit - a crime, something concrete to report
- shots fired - shots fired (observed directly by officer?)
- In the aves (sunset), officers use the letter of the alphabet to describe location.
  - 40th and K = 40th and Kirkham (etc.)
- Hot Sheet - A list of stolen property and crimes under investigation compiled and held by the police. The use of 'hot' means known or wanted by the police; suspect. Source: Quora
- blue on blue - there are men with guns, we do not know if there are uniformed officers or not (undercover). Please be aware of any blue on blue (don't shoot the other cops!)
- "broken down" - telling people camping on the street they need to move their camp elsewhere.
- suspect information followed by 'verbal' or 'documented' - whether they said it or showed their ID.
- lower great highway from sloat to taraval is utl - unable to locate (suspect)
  - "so far the fire is utl."
Police ID Format (Speculative)
- L##L - Letter:Number:Number:Letter
Case Number Format Info
- Case 017 000 239 at 129 am new years day
SFPD Preferred Phoenetic Alphabet
- Adam
- Boy
- Charlie
- David
- Edward
- Frank
- George
- Henry
- Ida
- John
- King
- Lincoln
- Mary, Medic?
- Norah
- Ocean
- Paul
- Queen
- Robert, Red
- Sam
- Tom, Tim
- Union
- Victor
- William
- Xray
- Yellow
- Zebra