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'''Ten-codes'''
'''Ten-codes''', properly known as '''ten signals''', are [[code word]]s used to represent common phrases in voice communication, particularly in radio transmissions. The codes, developed in [[1937]] and expanded in [[1974]] by the [[Association of Public Safety Communication Officials]] (APCO), allow for brevity and standardization of message traffic. They are widely used by [[law enforcement]] officers in [[North America]].
Some municipalities also use other codes in addition to the ten-codes.
Ten-codes were adapted for use by [[CB radio]] enthusiasts before its pop culture explosion in the late [[1970s]], thus many of the phrases, such as 10-4 and "what's your twenty" have entered everyday use in the English language. A popular fictional account of ten-codes in use among CB-communicating [[trucker]]s may be heard in the 1978 movie ''[[Convoy (film)|Convoy]]''.
In the fall of 2005, responding to inter-organisational communication problems during the rescue operations after [[Hurricane Katrina]], The United States [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) discouraged the use of ten-codes and other codes due to their high variability in meaning (see the November 2005 articles in External links, below).
===List of 10-codes===
The following list illustrates the current usage of various 10-codes. Only a handful of them are standardized. Some are fairly consistent, while others (such as 10-40) can have completely different meanings, many of which are not listed here. Multiple meanings for the same code are set apart by semicolons.
The first bold definition is the current APCO specification, a standard that has been adapted by most law enforcement agencies. Popular alternate meanings follow in bold, while less common meanings are in regular typeface. Meanings specific to CB radio are set in italics.
''This is not a complete list, but is intended to show some of the most common codes and help provide an estimate of what a code's definition is. A search for local ten-code tables should be performed first before using this chart.''
* 10-0 '''use caution'''
* 10-1 '''poor reception'''
* 10-100 '''bathroom break'''; dead body
* 10-200 ''police needed''
==See also==
* [[Eleven-code]]
* [[Q code]]
* [[Voice procedure]]
* [[Z code]]
==External links==
*[http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=26605 The End of the Ten-Code?] – By Tim Dees, Officer.com, 9 November 2005
*[http://asap.ap.org/stories/185732.s 10-4 no more?] – By Megan Scott, asap (AP), 25 November 2005
[[Category:Wireless communications]]
[[Category:Encodings]]
[[Category:Law enforcement techniques]]
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