A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily.

The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to oneself, or being branded as a traitor or an outcast within the unit or organization, as the experience of police whistleblower Frank Serpico illustrates. Police are known to have a well-developed blue wall of silence.

A more well-known example of the code of silence is the omertà, the Sicilian Mafia code of silence.

See also

  • Maxwell, Bill (25 July 2010). . Tampa Bay Times. Archived from on 27 July 2010.
  • . Chicago Tribune. 17 August 2016. Archived from on 29 March 2018.