10-79 Police Code Meaning & Definition

What Does 10-79 Mean?

10-79 is a police radio code most commonly used to mean Death or Emergency Message.

Police departments and dispatch centers may use 10-79 differently, but Death or Emergency Message is the most common meaning found in our database of agencies across the United States.

Most Common Meaning: Death or Emergency Message

Used this way by: 20% of agencies on this page
Used in: 5 agencies across 4 states
Category: Emergency
Consensus: ConflictedThis code has significant meaning conflicts between agencies and may vary widely by location.

Code Distribution Breakdown

Death or Emergency Message: 20% (1 agency)
Busy-SOC: 20% (1 agency)
Send K-9: 20% (1 agency)
Bomb threat: 20% (1 agency)
Assault with a Weapon: 20% (1 agency)

10-79 Police Code Meanings by Agency

5 agencies across 4 states

Why Does 10-79 Have Different Meanings?

Police radio codes are not standardized nationwide. Different agencies may assign different meanings to 10-79 , which is why multiple definitions can exist for the same code.

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