Alabama Scanner help, 10-codes, and listening guide
A practical listener guide for Alabama Scanner feeds covering Marion County, Lamar County, Winston County, Fayette County, and nearby Northwest Alabama areas. Codes and wording can vary by agency, dispatcher, unit, and situation.
What am I listening to?
Alabama Scanner provides live scanner audio for Marion County, Lamar County, Winston County, and Fayette County. Traffic may include public safety dispatches, law enforcement radio traffic, fire department traffic, EMS traffic, weather-related calls, road hazards, welfare checks, and other radio transmissions heard on the feed.
Why does the audio go quiet?
Scanner traffic is not constant. Quiet periods are normal when there is no active radio traffic, when units are not transmitting on monitored channels, or when calls move to a channel that is not part of the public feed. If the player shows Connected, silence often just means there is nothing being heard at that moment.
Why did I miss part of a call?
Scanner traffic can be short, overlapping, unclear, or missed depending on reception, system activity, and how quickly units transmit. Calls may also move to channels that are not part of the public feed. Treat scanner audio as a partial view, not a complete record of an incident.
How to Use This Guide
Use these meanings as general listening help, not official definitions. Many agencies use plain language instead of 10-codes, and some codes can mean different things depending on the county, channel, or situation.
Common 10-Codes
| Code | Common meaning |
|---|---|
| 10-4 | Message received / understood |
| 10-6 | Busy |
| 10-7 | Out of service |
| 10-8 | In service / available |
| 10-23 | Arrived on scene |
| 10-27 | Driver license check |
| 10-28 | Vehicle registration check |
| 10-29 | Wanted or records check |
| 10-41 | Beginning tour / on duty |
| 10-42 | Ending tour / off duty |
| 10-50 | Traffic accident |
| 10-76 | En route |
| 10-97 | Arrived at location |
| 10-98 | Finished with assignment / available |
Codes and wording can vary by agency. Use this list as a general listener reference.
Common Terms
- Dispatch
- The dispatcher or radio channel sending calls and information to field units.
- Units
- Responders or agency personnel assigned to a call.
- En route
- A unit is heading toward a call or location.
- On scene
- A unit has arrived at the location.
- Clear
- A unit is finished with the call or leaving the scene.
- BOLO
- Be on the lookout. Usually a request to watch for a person, vehicle, or situation.
- ATL
- Attempt to locate. A unit may be asked to look for a person, vehicle, or address.
- Welfare check
- A request for responders to check on a person's wellbeing.
- Unable to locate
- A unit checked the area but did not find the person, vehicle, or issue reported.
- Traffic stop
- A law enforcement stop involving a vehicle.
- Fire/EMS
- Fire department or emergency medical radio traffic.
- Law traffic
- Law enforcement radio traffic.
- Staging
- Responders are waiting nearby until it is safe or appropriate to enter a scene.
- Mutual aid
- Another department or agency is being asked to help.
- Transporting
- EMS or another unit is moving a patient or person to another location.
Law, Fire, and EMS Language
Law traffic may include traffic stops, warrant checks, complaints, alarms, welfare checks, and requests for backup. Fire and EMS traffic may include medical calls, vehicle wrecks, structure fires, lift assists, landing zones, and mutual aid. Dispatch wording is often brief because responders already know local procedures.
Why Scanner Information Can Change
Early radio traffic is often based on the first report. Details can change after units arrive, speak with people on scene, or receive updated information. A call heard on the scanner may later turn out to be less serious, more serious, or different from the first description.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Alabama Scanner an official public safety agency?
- No. It is an independent scanner and public information project. Use official agencies for instructions and confirmation.
- Why are exact addresses or names missing?
- Public summaries are intentionally redacted to avoid exposing private people, exact homes, plates, medical details, or tactical response information.
- Does quiet audio mean nothing is happening?
- No. The feed may simply be idle, a call may be on another channel, or the relevant traffic may have already ended.
- Can I share scanner summaries?
- Share responsibly with attribution and avoid adding unverified claims or private details that Alabama Scanner intentionally left out.
- Why does Alabama Scanner separate Recent Activity from Alerts?
- Recent Activity is routine public-safe context. Alerts are reserved for broader incidents that may matter to more people.
- Where do weather warnings belong?
- Weather watches, warnings, radar, and forecast context belong in the Weather Center, not the scanner alert feed.
Disclaimer
Scanner traffic can be incomplete, delayed, unclear, or updated later. Information heard on the scanner should not be treated as official confirmation. Do not interfere with responders, do not travel to active scenes based on scanner traffic, and do not use this site to identify private people.
Alabama Scanner is independent and is not affiliated with any law enforcement, fire, EMS, dispatch, emergency management, or government agency.