What Are The Texas Police Codes?

Every city in Texas has different police codes when you're listening to the scanner. I shouldn't say they're different, but some are used in certain cities while they aren't used in others.

However, some codes are universally used in Texas and they're established Texas Department of Public Safety codes. These are the ones you REALLY want to pay attention to, as they're most likely the ones you'll hear the most.

It's also something where if you are pulled over or questioned by an officer and you hear one of these codes, you're most likely about to find yourself in quite a bit of trouble. Let's take a look at some of the codes you need to be listening for.

CODE 10-40: EXPEDITE...SUBJECT DETAINED

If you're involved in this one, you probably don't care what code he just gave because according to this, you've already been detained by the officer. However, it's that "expedite" part that makes it an interesting one.

There would be very few reasons I'd imagine for an officer wanting to expedite it, so whatever they're holding you (or another person) on probably isn't a good thing.

CODE 10-43: REQUEST CRIMINAL HISTORY

So this can be requested for a myriad of reasons. Sometimes they want to check and make sure they've got the right person, or you've done something and they want to check for priors. Either way, it means you aren't going anywhere soon more than likely.

For your sake, hope you don't have a criminal record when they rattle off this code. If you don't, it's only going to help your cause.

CODE 10-54: SILENT PURSUIT

Here's a fun one. When you hear this on the scanner, it means the police are trailing someone, but with no lights or evasive maneuvers unless they need to make one. They don't want to alert the person they're pursuing because they may feel them to be a flight risk or something along those lines.

CODE 10-55: INTOXICATED DRIVER

I'd hate to say it, but this is probably one of the more commonly used codes in the book. Pretty self-explanatory, but if you're at home listening to your scanner and hear this, it may be an area to avoid if you need to go out for any reason.

CODE 10-56: WARRANT INDICATED

Here's a code you never want to hear if you find yourself hanging out with the police. If they call in this code, you may as well just go ahead and put your hands behind your back and wait for the cuffs. This code simply means they found a warrant attached to your name.

There's no getting out of a warrant. If you have one, you're getting arrested and taken in, simple as that.

CODE 10-71: OFFICER NEEDS ASSISTANCE

So this is one of the most vague codes in the book. It could mean they pulled someone over for a potential DWI (because two officers must be present for that), it could mean the officer is struggling with a suspect and they need help with them, or the officer could simply need backup in a bad situation.

Either way, when you hear an officer needs assistance, it means someone is definitely headed back to the station with them.

CODE 10-81: BREATHALYZER NEEDED

So maybe the officer forgot to load one up when he went out for his shift, or maybe theirs broke. Either way, needing a breathalyzer is never a good thing for the person being held. It's typically the last thing that happens before getting arrested for a DWI. Roadside test first, breathalyzer next if they feel it's needed.

When you hear this code and you're on the side of the road, chances are you're probably over the limit and headed for those steel bars.

CODE 10-95: SUBJECT IN CUSTODY

If you're the one in custody, you already know this, so you don't care about this code. However, if you're the type to sit at home listening to a scanner and looking for a little action, this is the time you want to hop in your car and head to the location.

The bottom line is, that someone is hanging out either on the side of the road or in the back of a car at this point. So if you hear this code and enjoy seeing people in handcuffs, this is your cue.

CODE 10-97: KNOWN OFFENDER

Things can get interesting with this code. Say someone gets pulled over or questioned by police, they run the person's ID and up pops some prior criminal offenses. Code 10-97 is what you'll hear, and it typically doesn't end well for the suspect.

No matter what they may be questioned about, it opens up a Pandora's Box for police and they start looking into things more than they would with someone who doesn't have a record. This code can mean potential fireworks.

CODE 10-99: WANTED/STOLEN INDICATED

If you're a thrill seeker, this is a code you want to listen for. It means the subject police have encountered is someone who is known as wanted. These encounters can be a lot of fun to watch.

It's not because there is a 100% chance someone is getting cuffed, it's watching the reaction of the subject being detained. Sometimes they're agitated, or maybe they appear defeated. Either way, this is a people-watcher dream code.