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Numeric codes are often used in radio communication, particularly by law enforcement and in CB transmissions, as replacements for common words or phrases.

Created to help reduce the amount of speech over the radio, the first set of "10-codes" was published by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) in 1940 and later expanded by the APCO in 1974.

There is, however, no universal set of 10-codes, and their meanings can vary between jurisdictions. This is why, in 2005, the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began discouraging the use of these and other codes. Apparently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also plans to do away with 10-codes.

For now, though, they're still widely in use, and I hear them constantly when listening to live audio feeds in Coconino County, Arizona. The following is a list of one set of 10-code meanings, which may or may not be identical to all of those used in your area.

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The majority of these 10 codes I never hear. Those I hear used frequently I've noted with a double asterisk (**).

10-0 Use Caution
10-1 You are being received poorly**
10-2 You are being received clearly
10-3 Stop Transmitting
10-4 O.K.**
10-5Relay Message
10-6 Busy with Call
10-7 Out of service (completely)**
10-7A Out of service at home
10-7B Out of service - personal
10-7C Out of service (court)
10-7od Out of service - off duty
10-8 In service/available for assignment**
10-8OT In service (over time)
10-9 Repeat last transmission**
10-10 Off duty
10-10A Off duty at home
10-11 Identify this frequency
10-12 Visitors are present (be discrete)**
10-13 Advise weather and road conditions
10-14 Citizen holding suspect
10-15 Prisoner in custody
10-16 Pick up prisoner
10-17 Request for gasoline
10-18 Equipment exchange
10-19 Return/returning to the station**
10-20 Location?**
10-21 Telephone:______** (I often hear this as just "21" without the 10.)
10-21a Advise home that I will return at ______
10-21b Phone your home
10-21r Phone radio dispatch
10-22 Disregard the last assignment**
10-22c Leave area if all secure
10-23 Standby
10-24 Request car-to-car transmission
10-25 Do you have contact with _______?
10-26 Clear
10-27 Driver's license check**
10-28 Vehicle registration request**
10-29 Check wants/warrants.[vehicle] (PIN,SVS)
10-29a Check wants/warrants [subject] (PIN)
10-29c Check complete [subject]
10-29f The subject is wanted for a felony
10-29h Caution - severe hazard potential
10-29r Check wants/record [subject PIN,CJIC)
10-29m The subject is wanted for a misdemeanor
10-29v The vehicle wanted in connection with a crime
10-30 Does not conform to regulations
10-32 Drowning
10-33 Alarm sounding
10-34 Assist at office
10-35 Time check
10-36 Confidential information
10-37 Identify the operator
10-39 Can ______ come to the radio?
10-40 Is ______ available for a telephone call?
10-42 Check on the welfare of/at ______
10-43 Call a doctor
10-45 What is the condition of the patient?
10-45A Condition of patient is good
10-45B Condition of patient is serious
10-45C Condition of patient is critical
10-45D Patient is deceased
10-46 Sick person [ambulance en route]
10-48 Ambulance transfer call
10-49 Proceed to/En route to ______
10-50 under influence of narcotics/Take a report
10-51 Subject is drunk
10-52 Resuscitator is needed
10-53 Person down
10-54 Possible dead body
10-55 Coroner's case
10-56 Suicide
10-56A Suicide attempt
10-57 Firearm discharged
10-58 Garbage complaint
10-59 Security check./Malicious mischief
10-60 Lock out
10-61 Miscellaneous public service
10-62 Meet a citizen
10-62A Take a report from a citizen
10-62B Civil standby
10-63 Prepare to copy
10-64 Found property
10-65 Missing person
10-66 Suspicious person
10-67 Person calling for help.
10-68 Call for police made via telephone
10-70 Prowler
10-71 Shooting
10-72 Knifing
10-73 How do you receive?
10-79 Bomb threat
10-80 Explosion
10-86 Any traffic?
10-87 Meet the officer at ______
10-88 Fill with the officer/Assume your post
10-91 Animal
10-91a Stray
10-91b Noisy animal
10-91c Injured animal
10-91d Dead animal
10-91e Animal bite
10-91g Animal pickup
10-91h Stray horse
10-91j Pickup/collect ______
10-91LLeash law violation
10-91V Vicious animal
10-95 Pedestrian/ Requesting an I.D./Tech unit
10-96 Out of vehicle-ped. send backup
10-97 Arrived at the scene**
10-98 Available for assignment**
10-99 Open police garage door
10-100 Civil disturbance - Mutual aid standby
10-101 Civil disturbance - Mutual aid request
10-102 Cruelty to animals
10-103 Disturbance
10-103F Disturbance by fight
10-103M Disturbance by mental person
10-106 Obscenity
10-107 Suspicious person

See more lists of 10-code definitions on Wikipedia and RadioLabs.com.

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In addition to 10 codes, some organizations and municipalities use other codes. The California Highway Patrol, for one, uses "eleven-codes" such as these:

11-10 Take a report.
11-24 Abandoned automobile
11-25 Traffic hazard
11-26 Abandoned bicycle
11-27 10-27 with the driver being held
11-28 10-28 with the driver being held
11-40 Advise if an ambulance is needed
11-41 An ambulance is needed
11-42 No ambulance is needed
11-48 Furnish transportation
11-51 Escort
11-52 Funeral detail
11-54 Suspicious vehicle
11-55 Officer is being followed by automobile
11-56 Officer is being followed by auto containing dangerous persons
11-57 An unidentified auto appeared at the scene of the assignment
11-58 Radio traffic is being monitored. Phone all non-routine messages
11-59 Give intensive attention to high hazard/business areas
11-60 Attack in a high hazard area
11-65 Signal light is out
11-66 Defective traffic light
11-71 Fire
11-78 Aircraft accident
11-79 Accident - ambulance dispatched
11-80 Accident - major injuries
11-81 Accident - minor injuries
11-82 Accident - no injuries
11-83 Accident - no details
11-84 Direct traffic
11-85 Tow truck required
11-94 Pedestrian stop
11-95 Routine traffic stop
11-96 Checking a suspicious vehicle
11-97 Time/security check on patrol vehicles
11-98 Meet: _______
11-99 Officer needs help

In addition to 10 codes, you may also hear some 900 codes over the scanner, and we use code 901 in Search & Rescue.

900 Bomb threat
901 Deceased person
902 Sudden death
903 Attempted suicide
904 Fire
904A Automobile fire
904B Building fire
904G Grass fire
909 Traffic problem; police needed
910 Can handle this detail
925 Suspicious vehicle
932 Turn on _______ mobile relay at _______
933 Turn off mobile relay
949 Burning inspection at _______
950 Control burn in progress/about to begin/ended
951 Need fire investigator
952 Report on conditions
953 Investigate smoke
953A Investigate gas
954 Off the air at the scene of the fire
955 Fire is under control
956 Assignment not finished
957 Delayed response of __ minutes
980 Restrict calls to emergency only
981 Resume normal traffic
1000 Plane crash
3000 Road block

See a more extensive list of 900 series codes on Nickandrozane.com.

There's also a list of 10 codes and 900 codes at Disabled-world.com. Notice the differences between those definitions and those above.

Code 1 Do so at your convenience
Code 2 Urgent
Code 3 Emergency/lights and siren
Code 4 No further assistance is needed (We use this code in Search & Rescue to mean that we're OK.)
Code 5 Stakeout
Code 6 Responding from a long distance
Code 7 Mealtime
Code 8 Request cover/backup
Code 9 Set up a roadblock
Code 10 Bomb threat
Code 12 Notify news media
Code 20 Officer needs assistance
Code 22 Restricted radio traffic
Code 30 Officer needs HELP - EMERGENCY!
Code 33 Mobile emergency - clear this radio channel.
Code 43 TAC forces committed

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Over the radio, some letters can sound a lot alike, such as D, E, B and C. This is why the phonetic alphabet was developed. There are two common versions, one for law enforcement and the other for the military. This is the phonetic alphabet used by law enforcement:

A - Adam
B - Boy
C - Charles
D - David
E - Edward
F - Frank
G - George
H - Henry
I - Ida
J - John
K - King
L - Lincoln
M - Mary
N - Nora
O - Ocean
P - Paul
Q - Queen
R - Robert
S - Sam
T - Tom
U - Union
V - Victor
W - William
X - X-ray
Y - Yellow
Z - Zebra

So IF I ever got pulled over by a police officer (which hopefully will never happen), my name would be called in as "David-Edward-Boy-Robert-Adam" and last name, "Lincoln-Adam-Union-Mary-Adam-Nora."