What Is a 11-81 Police Code? 11-81 Police Code

The 11-81 police code meaning for the police forces is Traffic Accident – Minor Injury.

If you’ve ever listened to a police scanner or watched a real-life police show, you might have heard someone mention a 11-81 Police Code. But what is 11-81 police code, and what does it mean for law enforcement and emergency response teams?

The 11-81 police code is a shorthand signal used by police departments and emergency personnel to indicate a Traffic Accident – Minor Injury. This means that officers are responding to a vehicular accident where injuries have occurred, but they are non-life-threatening or relatively minor in nature.

Police Code 11-81: What It Means and Why It’s Used

The use of numeric police codes such as 11-81 is a long-standing communication method designed to simplify and streamline law enforcement radio traffic. Instead of saying “traffic collision with minor injuries,” officers can simply say “11-81” to quickly convey the message. This system helps eliminate confusion, reduce errors, and allows emergency personnel to respond more quickly and clearly.

The 11-81 Police Code is commonly used in jurisdictions that follow the California Penal Code or similar 11-series signals. These codes help dispatchers and field officers share precise information without broadcasting long, detailed descriptions during high-pressure situations.

Origins and Importance of the 11-81 Code in Police Communication

Police codes like 11-81 originated from the APCO Ten-Signal system, first introduced in 1937 to standardize radio communications among law enforcement agencies. These codes were further expanded in the 1970s and adapted locally by many departments, especially in states like California.

While some agencies today are transitioning to plain language communication to improve clarity for multi-agency coordination, 11-codes like 11-81 remain widely recognized and used—especially among experienced officers, dispatchers, and emergency medical teams.

What Is 11-81 Police Code?

11-81 Police Code refers specifically to a Traffic Accident involving Minor Injury. This code is used when law enforcement officers respond to a car crash where someone is hurt, but the injuries are not severe or life-threatening. The 11-81 police code is part of a broader communication system that allows police and emergency teams to share urgent details quickly and clearly. It’s closely related to other codes like 11-80, which signals a traffic accident with serious injuries. The 11-code system, including 11-81, has its roots in the APCO Ten Signals developed in the late 1930s and remains an essential tool in emergency communication, especially within jurisdictions like California. Understanding the meaning behind the 11-81 police code helps provide deeper insight into how emergency services prioritize and respond to incidents on the road.

Main Police Codes
Alphabet For Police
California Penal Codes
Emergency Response Codes
Police 10 Codes
Police 11 Codes
Police Abbreviations
Police Nicknames
Police Radio Codes
Police Scanner Codes
Texas Penal Codes

Introduction to Police Codes and the 11-81 Police Code

Welcome to your complete resource for police codes in the United States. Whether you’re a public safety enthusiast, researcher, or just curious about how law enforcement communicates, our site offers a detailed guide to essential police signals—especially the 11-81 Police Code.

Used by law enforcement and emergency responders daily, the 11-81 Police Code refers to a “Traffic Accident – Minor Injury.” This quick code helps officers relay critical information without long descriptions, improving response times and reducing confusion during emergencies.

Understanding the Meaning of the 11-81 Police Code

So, what exactly does 11-81 Police Code mean? In law enforcement radio communication, this specific code is used to notify dispatch or other units that there has been a traffic accident involving minor injuries. It’s a way of letting responders know that medical assistance may be required, but the injuries aren’t severe or life-threatening.

This kind of shorthand allows for more efficient and standardized communication, especially during fast-moving situations on the road or in the field. Instead of saying “minor traffic collision with injury,” officers can simply say “11-81.”

The History of Police Code Systems

The concept behind codes like 11-81 dates back to the 1937–1940 period, when early radio signals were first formalized. These short numeric codes were designed to keep communication concise and error-free.

In 1974, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) took the lead in expanding and standardizing these codes nationwide. However, the concept first appeared as early as 1935 in The APCO Bulletin, where Morse-code-based brevity signals were proposed. These were inspired by the U.S. Navy’s communication structure and later adapted for voice use by police departments.

How Police Use the 11-81 Code in the Field

Police and emergency responders rely on these codes during real-time dispatch calls. For example, if there’s a multi-car pileup and one of the vehicles reports only a scraped elbow or minor whiplash, officers will issue a 11-81 Police Code to keep everyone informed of the situation.

The simplicity of “11-81” avoids the risk of miscommunication and ensures that resources like ambulances, traffic control, or backup units are allocated efficiently.

Additionally, civilians can even listen in on radio traffic using a police scanner, where codes like 11-81 are frequently used. These scanners help hobbyists, journalists, and even off-duty responders stay informed about incidents happening in their area.

Why We Offer Police Code Information for Free

Our mission is simple: to educate, inform, and provide free access to comprehensive police code data, including the 11-81 Police Code and many others used nationwide.

We’ve spent years researching and curating this information because we care deeply about the law enforcement community and the crucial role they play. To help support the website’s hosting and development costs, we do run a few ads—but all of our code explanations remain freely available to the public.

More Examples of Police Radio Codes

In addition to 11-81, other common police codes include:

10-7: Out of Service
10-42: End of Tour of Duty
11-79: Traffic Accident – Ambulance Dispatched
11-80: Traffic Accident – Serious Injury

Each of these serves a different role, but together they form a full language of public safety communication used every day by thousands of officers and responders.

Discover more about Police Codes