What Is a 10-36 Police Code? 10-36 Police Code

The 10-36 police code meaning for the police forces is Provide Current Time Of Day.

If you’re wondering what is 10-36 police code, you’re not alone. The 10-36 police code is part of a broader system of law enforcement communication known as Ten-Codes, or 10-Codes, which help police officers communicate quickly and clearly over radio systems. Specifically, the 10-36 code means “Provide Current Time of Day.”

What Does the 10-36 Police Code Mean?

The 10-36 police code is used when an officer needs the dispatcher or another officer to provide the current time of day. This may seem like a simple request, but in many situations—especially during investigations, arrests, or traffic stops—accurate time documentation is important for reports, evidence logging, or coordinating operations. Officers often call out “10-36” to request a precise time stamp to include in their records.

Why Do Police Use 10-Codes Like 10-36?

The 10-36 code is just one of many ten-codes originally developed in 1937 by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO). These codes were created to improve communication speed and accuracy among law enforcement personnel. Using short, standardized radio signals like 10-36 allows officers to send messages clearly and efficiently, even under high-stress or noisy conditions.

Police ten-codes help eliminate ambiguity and ensure that sensitive or critical messages are communicated without misunderstanding. In a high-stakes environment, knowing exactly what “10-36” means can save time—and lives.

How Is the 10-36 Police Code Used in Practice?

A typical use of the 10-36 police code might go something like this:

Officer: “Dispatch, can I get a 10-36?”

Dispatcher: “10-36, time is 14:52 hours.”

This quick exchange ensures that both the officer and the dispatcher are synchronized with an official time that can be used for paperwork or evidence tracking later on.

What Is 10-36 Police Code?

The 10-36 police code is a standardized communication code used by police officers to request the current time of day. It plays an essential role in keeping records accurate and ensuring proper documentation during law enforcement activities. Whether you’re researching police codes for professional, educational, or personal reasons, understanding the 10-36 code and how it’s used gives you insight into the structured world of police communications.

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All Police Codes: Your Comprehensive Guide to Police Radio Codes in the USA

Welcome to All Police Codes – your trusted and complete source for understanding, learning, and decoding police codes used by law enforcement agencies across the United States. Whether you’re a police scanner enthusiast, a researcher, or someone curious about emergency services communication, this website offers an extensive guide to police radio codes, including the 10-36 police code and many others.

Our dedicated team of researchers and contributors has spent years studying and documenting police codes and signals that are essential for real-time communication among emergency response teams. These codes help law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers relay critical information quickly and efficiently, ensuring faster response times and saving lives.

What is the 10-36 Police Code?

The 10-36 police code is just one of the many radio codes used daily by law enforcement personnel. It is typically used to refer to confidential or sensitive information, such as a subject’s warrant status or background details. Understanding these codes enhances your ability to follow live police scanner feeds and gain insights into law enforcement operations.

Why Police Codes Matter

Police radio codes were originally developed between 1937 and 1940 to create a standardized system of brevity in radio communication. This system was later expanded in 1974 by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO). These codes are a critical component of public safety communication, allowing officers to communicate quickly, clearly, and discreetly in high-stress situations.

For example, when a police officer is concluding their shift, they may communicate using two commonly recognized codes:

10-7: Officer is out of service
10-42: Officer has completed their tour of duty

These shorthand radio messages not only save time but also ensure clarity, especially when every second counts.

A Labor of Love for Public Safety Communication

At All Police Codes, we offer this information completely free of charge. Our mission is driven by passion and respect for the brave men and women in law enforcement and emergency services. We believe that by making this knowledge accessible to the public, we can bridge the gap between citizens and first responders, helping more people understand how these critical systems work.

To support the maintenance of this website and cover our operational costs, we display advertisements throughout the site. This allows us to keep the information freely accessible to anyone interested in learning more about police 10 codes, scanner codes, and emergency response systems.

Explore, Listen, and Learn

Want to go deeper? You can listen to police codes in action using a police scanner or a scanner app available online. Hearing these codes live can give you a better sense of how first responders coordinate during real emergencies.

Whether you’re researching for a project, training for a role in public safety, or simply curious about the language behind emergency services, All Police Codes is your ultimate guide to the world of law enforcement communication.

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