What does AD stand for?

Almost Dead

AD (Almost Dead) in the police or tactical operations context is an informal or situational term often used in radio communication, training simulations, or action reports to describe an individual — officer, suspect, or civilian — who is in critical condition, usually due to trauma, severe injury, or life-threatening circumstances. While not an official medical classification, it may be used to quickly convey urgency in the field when someone is near death but still alive, requiring immediate medical intervention or evacuation.

This expression is more commonly found in military or high-risk law enforcement scenarios, such as hostage rescue, active shooter incidents, or violent confrontations, where quick communication is vital. In real-world policing, the equivalent would be using status codes or medical severity levels, but “almost dead” (AD) might still appear in debriefs, training slang, or field notes to highlight how close a subject was to fatality.