Signal 21 Police Code Meaning & Definition

What Does Signal 21 Mean?

Signal 21 is a police radio code most commonly used to mean Kidnapping.

Police departments and dispatch centers may use Signal 21 differently, but Kidnapping is the most common meaning found in our database of agencies across the United States.

Most Common Meaning: Kidnapping

Used this way by: 50% of agencies on this page
Used in: 2 agencies across 2 states
Category: Incident
Consensus: MediumMost agencies use this code similarly, but some regional or agency variations exist.

Code Distribution Breakdown

Kidnapping: 50% (1 agency)
Male Adult Prisoner: 50% (1 agency)

Signal 21 Police Code Meanings by Agency

2 agencies across 2 states
Signal 21: Kidnapping
CategoryIncident
State Georgia
Agency Atlanta Police Department
Sources
Signal 21: Male Adult Prisoner
CategoryAdministrative
State Ohio
Agency Cincinnati Police Department
Sources

Why Does Signal 21 Have Different Meanings?

Police radio codes are not standardized nationwide. Different agencies may assign different meanings to Signal 21 , which is why multiple definitions can exist for the same code.

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