LAPD Scanner Listening Guide

Sections

Anatomy of a Call

Unit Naming Guide

Divisions and Bureaus

LAPD Radio Codes

Reporting Districts

Frequencies

LAPD Phonetic Alphabet

Anatomy of a Call Back to Top

A standard dispatched call uses the format of: Division or Unit / Call Type or Code / Address or Location / Suspect info / Additional Details / Call Priority / Incident Number / Reporting District

Sample Call: Rampart Units (or a specific unit), a 211 just occurred. 123 Main Street. At the donut shop on the southeast corner. Suspect is a male white, 30 years, 5 foot 10, 250, white over green with a red baseball cap. Weapon used was a black handgun. Took money from the register at gunpoint. Code 3. Incident 3284 RD 237. Unit to handle, identify.

Let's break this down:

Rampart Units

Who the call is for. In this case, it's for Rampart Division Units

a 211 just occurred

The crime or incident type. In this case, a 211 (Armed Robbery) just occurred.

123 Main Street

Address of the incident.

At the donut shop...corner

More specific location information of the incident.

Suspect is a male white

Suspect info: gender and race.

30 years, 5 foot 10, 250

Suspect info: age, height in feet and weight in pounds.

white over green with a red baseball cap

Suspect info: clothing - white top, green pants, red cap.

Weapon used was a black handgun.

Additional Incident Details.

Took money from the register at gunpoint

Additional Incident Details.

Code 3

Call Priority: High priority, lights and sirens.

Incident 3284

Official incident number of the incident. Resets at midnight.

RD 237

Reporting District: A specific area or beat in the division.

Unit to handle, identify

Asking any available unit to acknowledge their response.

Unit Naming GuideBack to Top

There are 3 components that LAPD uses to assign unit ids. Here's a sample Unit ID: 1-Adam-12 (or 1-A-12). Let's break this down:

1 - The Unit's Division
Adam or A - The unit's Car Type
12 - A unique identifier - often tied to the unit's "Beat" or "Area". (See RD)

Unit Names and Descriptions

Unit	Description
A	Basic Patrol Car (Two Uniformed Officers)
Air	Airship
B	Community Safety Partnership Unit
BRT	Bus Riding Team
C	Bicycle Detail
CP	Command Post
CR	Area Community Relations
DV	Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) Unit
E	Traffic Enforcement Automobile Unit
F	Specialized Investigative Unit, or Crime Task Force Unit
FB	Uniformed Foot-Beat Patrol
FM	Motor Task Force
FP	Security Services Division Fixed Security Post
G	Bureau Gang Coordinator, Gang Unit, Area Gang Impact Team, Gang Enforcement Detail
HOPE	Homeless Outreach Proactive Engagement Unit
J	Juvenile Unit
K9	K-9 (Canine) Division
L	Basic Patrol Car (One Uniformed Officer)
M	Traffic Enforcement Motorcycle Unit
MQ	Specialized Motorcycle Unit
MV	Vice Task Force Motorcycle Unit
MX	Specialized Motorcycle Unit
N	Narcotics Unit
OP	Observation Post Assignment during special event or unusual occurrence
P	Unit assigned to an operations bureau who may perform administrative or law enforcement duties (e.g. task force units)
Q	Special Event or Unusual Occurrence Unit
R##B	B Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##C	C Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##D	D (SWAT) Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##E	E (Mounted) Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##H	H (Headquarters) Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##K9	K-9 (Canine) Platoon, Metropolitan Division
R##M	Administrative Platoon, Metropolitan Division
RP	Security Services Division Mobile Security Patrol
S	Senior Lead Officer (Two Uniformed Officers)
SL	Senior Lead Officer (One Uniformed Officer)
T	Collision Investigation Unit
U	Report-taking Unit
V	Vice Unit
VCP	Volunteer Citizen Patrol Engagement Units
W	Detective Unit
X	Additional Patrol Unit in an assignment district
Z	Geographic Uniformed Unit assigned to a special detail, or a Career Criminal Detail

LAPD Divisions and BureausBack to Top

There are 4 "Bureaus" in the city of Los Angeles: West, South, Central and Valley. They are based on geographic areas and each Bureau contains multiple Divisions.

Div #	Division Name	Bureau
01	Central Division	Central Bureau
02	Rampart Division	Central Bureau
03	Southwest Division	South Bureau
04	Hollenbeck Division	Central Bureau
05	Harbor Division	South Bureau
06	Hollywood Division	West Bureau
07	Wilshire Division	West Bureau
08	West Los Angeles Division	West Bureau
09	Van Nuys Division	Valley Bureau
10	West Valley Division	Valley Bureau
11	Northeast Division	Central Bureau
12	77th Street Division	South Bureau
13	Newton Street Division	Central Bureau
14	Pacific Division	West Bureau
15	North Hollywood Division	Valley Bureau
16	Foothill Division	Valley Bureau
17	Devonshire Division	Valley Bureau
18	Southeast Division	South Bureau
19	Mission Division	Valley Bureau
20	Olympic Division	West Bureau
21	Topanga Division	Valley Bureau
22	West Traffic Division	West Bureau
23	Valley Traffic Division	Valley Bureau
24	Central Traffic Division	Central Bureau
25	South Traffic Division	South Bureau
31	Transit Division	Citywide - Trains and Buses
36	Security Services	Citywide

Here is an interactive PDF of the LAPD Bureaus and Divisions:

LAPD Radio CodesBack to Top

Codes

Code	Message
code1	Code 1 - Unable to Copy - Change Location, Signal Weak, Poor Radio Reception.
code2	Code 2 HIGH Priority Call, No Lights or Siren
code3	Code 3 Emergency Call, Lights and Siren
code4	Code 4 No Further Assistance Needed. Everything is OK!
code5	Code 5 - Stakeout
code6	Code 6 - Technically means "Out of Car on Investigation". Current usage is to indicate that a unit has "Arrived on Scene"
code6c	Code 6C Out of Car on Investigation, Suspect is Wanted. Used to indicate a "Wanted Person".
code6charles	Code 6C Out of Car on Investigation, Suspect is Wanted. Used to indicate a "Wanted Person". Do you have a warrant for your arrest $(user)?
code7	Code 7 means "Meal break." It's used by officers to indicate that they are taking a break to eat during their shift.
code10	Code 10 - Request to clear frequency so no else else transmits so the officer can announce a "Crime Broadcast" or broadcast want/warrant information.
code12	Code 12 False Alarm
code20	Code 20 usually refers to Media in the area.
code30	CODE 30 - A burglar alarm. Code 30 Ringer is an Audible burglar alarm.
code30ringer	CODE 30 - A burglar alarm. Code 30 Ringer is an Audible burglar alarm.
code37	Code 37 Vehicle is Reported Stolen
code100	Code 100 - In Position to Intercept
codealpha	Code Alpha - A Code Alpha is a MEETING or a DEBRIEFING. End of watch units will often meet at the station before going home. Also, after a major incident the units involved will all meet up.
codeb	Code B - Jelly Bean's imaginary code that means Rain is coming.
codeblack	Code Black: Usually a Fire Department or Police "Triage" code indicating a deceased person.
coderobert	A code Robert is a Rifle.
codesam	Code Sam and/or Code Sam 40 refer to Less Lethal devices. Code Sam is a beanbag shotgun and Code Sam 40 is the 40mm Less-Lethal Launcher.
codesam40	Code Sam and/or Code Sam 40 refer to Less Lethal devices. Code Sam is a beanbag shotgun and Code Sam 40 is the 40mm Less-Lethal Launcher.
codeseven	Code 7 means "Meal break." It's used by officers to indicate that they are taking a break to eat during their shift.
codetom	Code Tom - Request for deployment of taser to location

Number Codes

Code	Message
20	20 means Current Location.
44	44 - Actually a 484 not a 44. They just shorten it to '44'. 484 is a THEFT.
187	187 - Homicide
211	211 -Armed Robbery- the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear.
215	GTA - Grand Theft Auto. Sometimes you'll also hear a '211 GTA' or a 215. That's just another name for a CARJACKING.
217	In LAPD lingo, a "217" refers to an assault with intent to commit murder.
245	ADW - Assault with a Deadly Weapon (also code 245)
261	261 - Rape
266	266 - Pimping & Pandering
311	311 - Indecent Exposure - Maybe the call is actually for YOU, $(user)!
390	390 means INTOXICATED
415	A 415 is a disturbance. General term to refer to any type of disturbance or person(s) causing a disturbance.
419	A "419" refers to a dead human body. This code is used by officers to communicate the discovery of a deceased person without having to use explicit language over the radio.
459	A 459 is a BURGLARY.
484	484 -THEFT
487	A 487 is a Grand Theft
502	502 - Drunk Driving
507	507 - Minor Disturbance. Example 507 Radio is a loud noise complaint.
5150	5150 - California Penal Code for Mentally Unstable

Words and Abbreviations

Code	Message
211gta	GTA - Grand Theft Auto. Sometimes you'll also hear a '211 GTA' or a 215. That's just another name for a CARJACKING.
390group	390 means INTOXICATED. So a 390 Group id an Intoxicated group.
507radio	507 - Minor Disturbance. 507 Radio is a loud noise complaint.
adw	ADW - Assault with a Deadly Weapon (also code 245)
ainjury	An "A" Injury is a SEVERE Injury. Used to describe a Traffic Collision with a SEVERE injury to one or more parties.
airship	Air / Air Unit / Airship - A police helicopter
ambulance	Ambulance - depends on context. LAPD calls are sometime proceeded by the word Ambulance to denote that someone is injured. Ex: Ambulance Shooting is a shooting with a victim down.
ambulance211	Ambulance 211 - A 211 (armed robbery) with injuries.
ambulancecutting	Ambulance Cutting - A cutting/stabbing with injuries.
ambulanceshooting	Ambulance Shooting - A Shooting with injuries.
ambulancestabbing	Ambulance Stabbing - A Stabbing with injuries.
ambulancetraffic	Ambulance Traffic - A traffic accident with injuries.
apparentnatural	Apparent Natural - Death investigation. Deceased Apparently died of Natural Causes.
article	Article - A weapon. Usually refers to a firearm.
astro	Astro - An air to air channel that helicopters use to coordinate navigation. LAPD airships as well as private helicopters use this channel to communicate to each other.
coldplate	A cold plated vehicle is a vehicle that has the wrong license plates on it. Often times cold plated vehicles are stolen or are using stolen plates.
cp	CP is a Command Post
cpi	CPI or CPI T/C - City Property Involved (CPI) T/C: A traffic collision involving City property or City liability.
db	DB - Dead Body
do	DO - Usually used in reference to a Disabled or Broken Patrol Car. Also have heard it used to reference any object broken or disabled.
doa	DOA - Dead On Arrival. They also use GOA more frequently which sounds a lot like DOA and means Gone On Arrival. Ex: Suspect is GOA. That means the suspect was already gone by the time they arrived.
dot	D.O.T. - Department of Transportation.
dre	Drug Recognition Expert (DRE): A Drug Recognition Expert is an officer who has qualified as an expert in evaluating people under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, or a combination of both.
dui	DUI - Driving Under the Influence
dv	DV = Domestic Violence
fid	FID is LAPD's Force Investigation Division. They handle investigating Officer Involved Shootings, In-Custody Deaths, Use of Force Investigations, etc.
flir	FLIR - Forward Looking Infra-Red. The FLIR is a heat-sensitive imaging system, which makes it easier for the aircrew to detect the presence of individuals on the ground due to their heat signature.
fta	FTA - Failure to Appear. A type of warrant that is issued when an individual fails to show up for a court appearance.
goa	GOA - Gone On Arrival. Example: 'Suspect is GOA'. That means the suspect was already gone by the time they arrived. (Not to be confused with DOA which means Dead on Arrival).
ic	IC - Incident Commander is responsible for the overall management of the incident and determines which Command or General Staff positions to staff in order to maintain a manageable span of control.
kinjury	A "K" Injury is a FATALITY. Used to describe a Traffic Collision with a fatal injury to one or more parties.
kma	KMA - A term used to signify the end of a transmission (usually a crime broadcast). Possibly stands for 'Keep Me Advised'
mdt	MDT is a Mobile Data Terminal. LAPD and LAFD use these computers in their vehicles for dispatch, call comments, lookups, etc. Also called MDC's
metro	METRO - 2 Meanings - Los Angeles City Fire Department DISPATCH CENTER is referred to as 'METRO'. ALSO, LAPD'S METRO DIVSION is a specialized unit composed of SWAT, K9, Special Details, etc.
narco	Narco - An abbreviation for Narcotics
ois	OIS - Officer Involved Shooting.
opg	OPG - Official Police Garage(s). The city operated towing service and storage garages.
po	PO - Police Officer
pr	PR or RP - Person Reporting (complainant)
ra	RA - Rescue Ambulance
rd	RD = Reporting District. Ex: RD 636. Hollywood division (6), Beat 36. The 1st number is the Division. The last 2 numbers are the area. For a MAP OF REPORTING DISTRICTS type !rdmap
ro	RO - Registered Owner
rp	PR or RP - Person Reporting (complainant)
rto	RTO - Radio Telephone Operator - The Dispatcher in the communications center.
simplex	SIMPLEX - Car to car radio frequencies. Each Division has their own simplex channel. Simplex has a weak signal, so unless the units are physically close to LA Captain, reception is difficult for us.
slo	SLO is a Senior Lead Officer.
stack	Stack - A queuing system on an officer's computer (MDT). Putting a call "in the stack" is basically saying that the call should be added to their list of calls and they will handle when available.
t-unit	T-Unit - Traffic Unit. Specializes in Traffic Collisions and reports. Also, Teresa's nickname.
ta	TA - TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
tc	TC - Traffic Collision
tems	TEMS - Tactical EMS. A SWAT element trained in Emergency Medical Services.
traffic	Traffic - depends on context but usually means a Traffic Accident. Ex: DUI Traffic is a DUI traffic accident. Ambulance Traffic is an accident with injuries. Also could refer to a Traffic Unit.
zunit	A "Zebra Unit" is Geographic Uniformed Unit assigned to a special detail, or a Career Criminal Detail

Reporting DistrictsBack to Top

An RD is a Reporting District. Its basically a specific area or neighborhood. There are 2 components that LAPD uses for RD's. Here's a sample RD: 1245. Lets break this down:

12 - The LAPD Division (in this case Division 12 is the 77th St. Division)
64 - A 2 digit number referring to a specific area within the division called a "Beat".
In this example, using the RD map, RD 1245 is an area bordered by Florence on the North, 79th St on the South, Denker on the West and Vermont on the East.
Using the RD system, a unit can easily identify the area where an incident is located.
As a listener, if you miss the beginning of the call the RD, said at the end of a dispatch, can help you identify the Division where the incident is located. Just drop the last two digits of an RD and you'll have the Division Number.

Here is a image of the LAPD Reporting Districts. Click the map for an interactive map where you can lookup individual RD's

FrequenciesBack to Top

The Los Angeles Police Department uses an APCO P25 Digital System. Most frequencies are unencrypted but you'll need a scanner that supports P25 to listen.

Frequencies are broken down into 4 groups:

Dispatch
Simplex
Tactical
Additional

Dispatch Frequencies

Each Division has their own Dispatch frequency although some Divisions are tied together since they are geographically close together (Examples: N. Hollywood and Van Nuys are tied, Northeast and Rampart are tied together, and Hollywood and Olympic Divisions are tied together. There are others but those are a few examples.

Name and Number	Frequency
01 - CENTRAL DIVISION	506.7375
02 - RAMPART DIVISION	506.9375
03 - SOUTHWEST DIVISION	506.9875
04 - HOLLENBECK DIVISION	507.1875
05 - HARBOR DIVISION	484.2875
06 - HOLLYWOOD DIVISION	507.2125
07 - WILSHIRE DIVISION	506.9625
08 - WEST LA DIVISION	506.7625
09 - VAN NUYS DIVISION	506.7125
10 - WEST VALLEY DIVISION	484.9375
11 - NORTHEAST DIVISION	484.8375
12 - 77TH STREET DIVISION	507.2375
13 - NEWTON DIVISION	484.8625
14 - PACIFIC DIVISION	484.3875
15 - N HOLLYWOOD DIVISION	484.9625
16 - FOOTHILL DIVISION	507.1625
17 - DEVONSHIRE DIVISION	506.8875
18 - SOUTHEAST DIVISION	506.7875
19 - MISSION DIVISION	484.8875
20 - OLYMPIC DIVISION	484.65
21 - TOPANGA DIVISION	484.85
22 - WEST TRAFFIC DIVISION	484.3625
23 - VALLEY TRFC DIVISION	484.9125
24 - CENTRAL TRFC DIVISION	484.8125
25 - SOUTH TRFC DIVISION	484.3375
31 - TRANSIT DIVISION	506.5875
36 - SECURITY SVCS DIVISION	484.4875

Simplex Frequencies

Each Division also has their own Simplex or Fallback frequency. These frequencies are for car-to-car communications. Simplex frequencies are very difficult to monitor since there are no repeaters and one has to be physically close to the units to hear them transmitting.

Number and Name	Frequency
101 CENT SIMPLEX	506.7
102 RAMP SIMPLEX	484.675
103 SWD SIMPLEX	507.175
104 HOBK SIMPLEX	484.625
105 HARB SIMPLEX	484.875
106 HWD SIMPLEX	506.6
107 WIL SIMPLEX	484.55
108 WLA SIMPLEX	484.975
109 VNYS SIMPLEX	506.975
110 WVAL SIMPLEX	507.2
111 NOE SIMPLEX	484.575
112 77TH SIMPLEX	484.95
113 NEWT SIMPLEX	506.825
114 PAC SIMPLEX	484.5
115 NHWD SIMPLEX	484.8
116 FTHL SIMPLEX	506.8
117 DEV SIMPLEX	484.3
118 SOE SIMPLEX	506.725
119 MSN SIMPLEX	484.825
120 OLYM SIMPLEX	484.7
121 TOP SIMPLEX	484.375
122 WTD SIMPLEX	484.6
123 VTD SIMPLEX	506.75
124 CTD SIMPLEX	484.525
125 STD SIMPLEX	506.95

Tactical Frequencies

There are 2 types of Tactical Frequencies. Each Bureau has 2 Tactical frequencies. Example: Channel 38 is OSB Tac 2. That stands for Operations South Bureau Tactical Channel 2. There are also 6 Citywide Tactical frequencies which have very strong signals to cover the entire city. Tac frequencies are used for long duration incidents such as Searches, Perimeters, Major Incidents, Protests, etc.

Name and Number	Frequency
35 OCB TAC1	507.1125
36 OCB TAC2	484.7875
37 OSB TAC1	507.0375
38 OSB TAC2	484.3125
39 OWB TAC1	506.8125
40 OWB TAC2	484.4125
41 OVB TAC1	507.0125
42 OVB TAC2	507.225
43 CW TAC1	507.0875
44 CW TAC2	484.6625
45 CW TAC3	484.7625
46 CW TAC4	484.4625
47 CW TAC5	484.6375
49 CW TAC7	484.9875

Additional Frequencies

The Additional Frequencies include Hotshots, Metro (SAWT, K9, etc), Detectives, etc.

Name/Number	Frequency
26 Hotshots/Air	484.7125
27 ASD	484.9
31 IAG	506.4625
50 EMERGENCY	507.2625
51 LAPD ACC	484.4375
64 STAFF CMD	506.5375
65 METRO	506.8375
66 SWAT	484.5875
67 METRO SIMPLEX	506.775
68 METRO SX	506.5375
127 PAC LAX	507.1
248 JAIL DIV	506.875
249 JAIL SX	484.2375
250 ISU 70 S	488.9625
251 ISU 80 S	491.9625
252 EES 1	484.75
253 EES 2	487.75
Hotshot OAT	484.35
Hotshot Harb	484.4
HBR5 Rebro	484.925
LAPD Telem	484.475
FUTURE	484.775
FUTURE	506.85
FUTURE	507.25
Detectives - RED	484.5375
Detectives - BLU	484.6875
Detectives - GRE	484.6125
Detectives - Bur	484.6125
Detectives - Rob	484.7375
Detectives - J	506.8625

LAPD Phonetic AlphabetBack to Top

The Los Angeles Police Department uses the following LAPD Phonetic Alphabet to minimize spelling errors when spelling a word or name over the radio:

Letter	Word
A	Adam
B	Boy
C	Charles
D	David
E	Edward
F	Frank
G	George
H	Henry
I	Ida
J	John
K	King
L	Lincoln
M	Mary
N	Nora
O	Ocean
P	Paul
Q	Queen
R	Robert
S	Sam
T	Tom
U	Union
V	Victor
W	William
X	X-ray
Y	Young
Z	Zebra

Return to Top

COOKIE SETTINGS
Strictly Functional Cookies
Functional cookies MUST remain ON or the site won't work. We do not sell or provide your information from these cookies to ANYONE!!
All 3rd Party Cookies
WARNING!! 3rd Party Cookies SHOULD remain ON or the YouTube videos won't work and you will be logged out of all of your YouTube and Google accounts. YouTube uses the cookies just as if you were watching the video on YouTube itself.
3rd Party Cookies except YouTube and Google
This will block 3rd party cookies except YouTube and Google. Not really a factor since the only 3rd party cookies we use are YouTube and Google but it's here if you have any concerns that we might use others in the future.
Analytic Cookies
We prefer that you leave Analytic Cookies ON. This helps us to track statistics and logging on our webite using Google Analytics.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@LACaptain

LAPD Scanner Listening Guide

Unit Names and Descriptions

Codes

Number Codes

Words and Abbreviations

Dispatch Frequencies

Simplex Frequencies

Tactical Frequencies

Additional Frequencies

COOKIE PREFERENCES

We never sell your info, but click Change
to change your cookie settings.

COOKIE SETTINGS

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@LACaptain

LAPD Scanner Listening Guide

Unit Names and Descriptions

Codes

Number Codes

Words and Abbreviations

Dispatch Frequencies

Simplex Frequencies

Tactical Frequencies

Additional Frequencies

COOKIE PREFERENCES

We never sell your info, but click Change to change your cookie settings.

COOKIE SETTINGS

We never sell your info, but click Change
to change your cookie settings.