Signal 38 Police Code Meaning & Definition

What Does Signal 38 Mean?

Signal 38 is a police radio code most commonly used to mean Illegal Drugs/Alcohol.

Police departments and dispatch centers may use Signal 38 differently, but Illegal Drugs/Alcohol is the most common meaning found in our database of agencies across the United States.

Most Common Meaning: Illegal Drugs/Alcohol

Used this way by: 50% of agencies on this page
Used in: 2 agencies across 2 states
Category: Incident
Consensus: MediumMost agencies use this code similarly, but some regional or agency variations exist.

Code Distribution Breakdown

Illegal Drugs/Alcohol: 50% (1 agency)
Tow Truck Request: 50% (1 agency)

Signal 38 Police Code Meanings by Agency

2 agencies across 2 states
Signal 38: Illegal Drugs/Alcohol
CategoryIncident
State Georgia
Agency Atlanta Police Department
Sources
Signal 38: Tow Truck Request
CategoryNon-Crime
State Ohio
Agency Cincinnati Police Department
Sources

Why Does Signal 38 Have Different Meanings?

Police radio codes are not standardized nationwide. Different agencies may assign different meanings to Signal 38 , which is why multiple definitions can exist for the same code.

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