What Is a 11-31 Police Code? 11-31 Police Code

The 11-31 police code meaning for the police forces is Person Calling For Help.

If you’ve ever listened to a police scanner or watched live emergency response coverage, you may have heard law enforcement use the term 11-31 Police Code. But what exactly does it mean? What is 11-31 Police Code? Simply put, the 11-31 police code refers to a “Person Calling for Help.” This specific radio signal alerts officers and emergency responders that someone is actively seeking assistance, often in distress or danger.

The 11-31 police code is a critical tool in law enforcement communication, ensuring officers can respond to urgent calls efficiently and with full situational awareness. When a dispatcher hears an 11-31 code, it typically means someone has dialed for help—whether due to a medical emergency, an active threat, or a hazardous situation—requiring a prompt and coordinated police response.

Understanding the Police Code for Person Calling for Help: 11-31

The Police Code 11-31 stands for a Person Calling for Help, and it is widely used by law enforcement agencies to streamline emergency communication. Instead of describing the situation in a lengthy and potentially confusing way, officers use concise numerical codes like 11-31 to convey essential information clearly and quickly. This practice minimizes communication errors and allows first responders to react immediately and appropriately.

This code is part of the larger “11-series” of radio signals, which are especially common in California and other parts of the United States. These codes were initially introduced as part of the APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials) Ten-Signal system in the late 1930s and expanded in 1974 to improve operational effectiveness.

Why Police Codes Like 11-31 Matter

Using police codes such as 11-31 (Person Calling for Help) is crucial in high-stress situations. They allow law enforcement personnel to share detailed information with speed and precision. In life-threatening or time-sensitive circumstances, seconds matter—and radio codes help save those seconds.

So, next time you hear someone ask, “What is 11-31 police code?”, you’ll know it means someone is urgently reaching out to law enforcement for help. This code serves as a vital alert, mobilizing the police response system to assist those in need swiftly and efficiently.

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Welcome to All Police Codes—Your Trusted Source for Everything About the 11-31 Police Code and More

All Police Codes proudly welcomes you to the ultimate online resource for learning, researching, and understanding law enforcement radio signals used across the United States. Whether you’re a curious citizen, a hobbyist with a police scanner, or someone diving deep into public safety communication systems, this website is here to help you understand every detail—including the 11-31 Police Code, which means “Person Calling for Help.”

We’ve carefully curated a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate Police Codes lookup directory so you can explore the meaning behind codes like 11-31 Police Code and many others in the 10-series and 11-series radio signals commonly used by emergency responders. From the most commonly used dispatch signals to the rare and region-specific codes, we aim to cover them all.

Our team has spent years studying and following Police Codes and Signals, ensuring that the information you find here is accurate, insightful, and regularly updated. These communication codes are used daily by police departments, emergency dispatchers, and first responders to keep their communication fast, efficient, and error-free. The 11-31 Police Code, like others in the 11-series, helps law enforcement officers swiftly report and respond to a person in distress or calling for help, making it a crucial element in emergency communications.

Best of all, everything on this site is completely free. We’re passionate about the world of police radio codes and have deep respect for the emergency services who risk their lives every day. To help keep this project running and cover our operational costs, the website includes advertising—but our mission remains clear: to make understanding police codes, including 11-31, accessible to everyone.

If you’re looking to listen to the 11-31 Police Code in real-time, you can use a police code scanner or mobile scanner app to tune in to local frequencies. This code, among others, is often heard during high-priority dispatches when someone needs immediate help.

History of Police Codes and the Origin of the 11-Series

The standardized use of police codes began between 1937 and 1940, initiated and refined by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO). These codes were created to shorten radio transmissions and reduce confusion during voice communication, which was crucial before modern digital systems existed. Initially based on Morse code brevity systems adopted from the U.S. Navy, APCO introduced the now-familiar numeric code systems that law enforcement still uses today. The 11-series, including the 11-31 Police Code, falls within this lineage.

In fact, the earliest iteration of brevity codes appeared in The APCO Bulletin in 1935, before evolving into the spoken signals we recognize now. While these codes have evolved, their purpose remains the same: to create quick, clear, and standardized communication during emergency response situations.

What’s the Most Commonly Used Police Code?

Among the hundreds of codes used daily, some are more frequently heard than others. One of the most common transmissions is when an officer ends their shift—typically using code 10-7 (Out of Service) followed by 10-42 (Ending Tour of Duty). While 11-31 Police Code is situation-specific and crucial when someone’s seeking help, codes like 10-7 and 10-42 serve more routine but equally important functions in the world of dispatch and patrol.

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