Code 5 Police Code Meaning & Definition

What Does Code 5 Mean?

Code 5 is a police radio code most commonly used to mean Stakeout.

Police departments and dispatch centers may use Code 5 differently, but Stakeout is the most common meaning found in our database of agencies across the United States.

Most Common Meaning: Stakeout

Used this way by: 50% of agencies on this page
Used in: 4 agencies across 3 states
Category: Status
Consensus: MediumMost agencies use this code similarly, but some regional or agency variations exist.

Code Distribution Breakdown

Stakeout: 50% (2 agencies)
Stake Out: 25% (1 agency)
Officer Needs Assistance: 25% (1 agency)

Code 5 Police Code Meanings by Agency

4 agencies across 3 states
Code 5: Stakeout
CategoryStatus
State California
Agency Los Angeles Police Department
Sources
Code 5: Stake Out
CategoryIncident
State California
Agency San Bernardino Police Department
Sources
Code 5: Stakeout
CategoryStatus
State Illinois
Agency Chicago Police Department
Sources
Code 5: Officer Needs Assistance
CategoryEmergency
State Ohio
Agency Cincinnati Police Department
Sources

Why Does Code 5 Have Different Meanings?

Police radio codes are not standardized nationwide. Different agencies may assign different meanings to Code 5 , which is why multiple definitions can exist for the same code.

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