Ten-code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:34, 7 September 2005

Revision as of 23:34, 15 October 2005

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==Origins and professional use==

The first set of 10-codes was published by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, or APCO, in January of 1940. There is no universal, official set of 10-codes, and the meanings of a particular 10-code can vary between one jurisdiction and another: a code meaning "I have the suspect in custody" in one state can mean "Send an ambulance" in a second state, and have yet another meaning in a third. To overcome large 10-code lists some agencies have adopted other code lists such as [[eleven-code|11-codes]], 12-codes, and so forth. As of 2005, 10-codes are being phased out by most U.S. law enforcemnt agencies because of a Federal requirement for plain language to facilitate communication between agencies in emergencies.

==Unofficial use (e.g. CB radio)==

Ten-codes were adopted with enthusiasm by the [[Citizen's Band radio|Citizen's Band]] craze, first in the USUnited States, then shortly afterwards in the [[United Kingdom|UKBritain]] and elsewhere. The codes were extended and changed to reflect the sorts of things that CBers wanted to refer to, rather than law enforcement usage, etc. During the [[CB radio in the United Kingdom|height of the fad]] in the UKBritain (around [[1980]]), new ten-codes were seemingly made up on the spot, used in the local area for a short time, then disappeared again.

==List of commonly used codes==