On a police scanner-what does a cop mean by '16 D-David'? What do the numbers stand for? Not the 10-4 etc..

Answer 1

I think you are talking about the phonetic alphabet we use to clarify radio transmissions. The letters are used in a name to tell you the thing over the radio for example,
ADAM, BOY, CHARLES, DAVID, EDWARD, FRANK, GEORGE, HENRY, IDA, JOHN, KING, LINCOLN, MARY, NORA, OCEAN, PAUL, QUEEN, ROBERT, SAM, TOM, UNION, VICTOR, WILLIAM, X-RAY, YOUNG, ZEBRA.
Some places use a different phonetic alphabet more like the military uses, with ALPHA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, etc.
We also used some codes like Signal 30 meant not reported stolen, Signal 32 meant wanted....

Answer 2

In most (not all) departments, the first number indicates either the agency if there is more than one contiguous agency either utilizing the same radio or overlapping jurisdictions, or more typically, it could indicate the shift (3 being Shift #3 of 3 eight hour shifts for instance) or in many departments it means the beat number if the city/county is split into sections or "beats." The "adam" in many departments signifies the type of unit - many use "adam" to mean a two-officer unit; "sam" usually means a sergeant vehicle, some call detectives "george" units, etc. The last number is usually the specific unit or vehicle designation. That is the one identifier of the specific car so dispatch knows the exact car they are referring to. Specific officers are assigned a specific unit number at each shift, so dispatch and the supervisors also know which officers are attached to that unit. So "3 adam 86" might mean beat #3, two-officer unit, unit identifer #86. Hope that helps!

Answer 3

Some departments include a code for an officer that's alone or riding double.
It could mean a multitude of things.....you should contact your local department to see if they have a ride along program....you could learn alot.

Answer 4

possibly their unit designation

however, it varies from department to department