{"id":10712,"date":"2006-11-13T19:29:10","date_gmt":"2006-11-14T02:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2006\/11\/13\/ten-four-good-er-got-it-dude.html"},"modified":"2006-11-13T19:29:10","modified_gmt":"2006-11-14T02:29:10","slug":"ten_four_good_er_got_it_d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/11\/13\/ten_four_good_er_got_it_d.html","title":{"rendered":"Ten-Four, good — er, got it, dude!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police forces in large urban areas are toying with giving up all that cool 10-X police lingo<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, local governments have spent millions on high-tech radios to improve communication among police forces. Now, Virginia is taking the next step: changing the very way cops talk. <\/p>\n

Starting this month, Virginia State Police have banned the “10 codes” used by generations of officers to flag everything from murders to bathroom breaks. Gone is the language of “10-4” and “What’s your 10-20 [location]?” <\/p>\n

The codes are as much a part of police culture as badges and coffee. But over time, individual police departments have adapted the codes in their own ways, creating confusion when they have to work together — such as on Sept. 11. Eager to avoid such mix-ups, Virginia’s government has become one of the first in the nation to try to eliminate traditional cop talk. For months, officials in Richmond have worked with police and firefighters to come up with a substitute for 10 codes, finally deciding on a statewide
\n“common language protocol.” <\/p>\n

In other words, English. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It’s no laughing matter because, strangely enough, all those 10-codes vary from jurisidiction to jurisdiction. <\/p>\n

\n

The switch reflects why it is so challenging for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create a national emergency response system. If someone sets off a dirty bomb at the Pentagon, Arlington County police might be on the radio with officers arriving from Fairfax County, Alexandria, the District or Maryland. <\/p>\n

To Arlington police, “10-13” means “officer in trouble.” To Montgomery County police, the same code means “request wrecker.” Even everyday police commands can get lost in translation: In Alexandria, “10-54” refers to an alcohol sensor. For Virginia State Police, it’s livestock on the highway. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There are good reasons for why the codes have developed, but …<\/p>\n

\n

The 10-code system started catching on in the 1920s, when police radios had only one channel. Officers needed to bark out information succinctly to avoid tying up the system. But over time, a Babel of codes developed. <\/p>\n

The jumble wasn’t such a problem when police were on different radio systems, or were not as tuned in to the potential for apocalyptic disasters. But five years ago, as law enforcement agencies rushed to the Pentagon, they found that sometimes they were speaking in different tongues. <\/p>\n

Local “police were talking 10 codes. So were the Pentagon police. The FBI have their own little 10 codes,” said Capt. Richard Slusher, communications officer for the Arlington Fire Department. “You didn’t know what they were talking about.” <\/p>\n

Usually such mix-ups are just an inconvenience. But the potential for trouble is clear. A few years ago, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives called in a “10-50” while working in Maryland, police said. To Montgomery police, that means “officer down.” Squad cars rushed to the scene — to discover that, in the agent’s code, “10-50” meant traffic accident. <\/p>\n

After Sept. 11, federal Homeland Security officials required first responders to use plain English in events involving other agencies. But many officers like to keep the codes for day-to-day use within their departments. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Interesting. See, this is one of those things I’d have expected to be standardized by someone, somewhere.<\/p>\n

(via Language Log<\/a>)<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Police forces in large urban areas are toying with giving up all that cool 10-X police lingo. 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'He is taking the action after a task force he created in January decided that police departments should be barred from using federal funds to acquire items that include tracked armored vehicles,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13145,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2008\/07\/10\/potpourri_on_a_hot_thursd.html","url_meta":{"origin":10712,"position":1},"title":"Potpourri on a hot Thursday morning","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 10-Jul-08 5:32am","format":false,"excerpt":"It's already warm out, and it's not yet 5:30a. Our Towns - Build a Wiffle Ball Field, and Lawyers Will Come...\u00a0- as will the neighbors, the zoning officials, the police,...","rel":"","context":"In "Elections 2008"","block_context":{"text":"Elections 2008","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/elections-2008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4288,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2003\/09\/30\/code_green.html","url_meta":{"origin":10712,"position":2},"title":"Code Green","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 30-Sep-03 1:34pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Huzzah. Unlike, say, the folks who own and license the Dewey Decimal System, ISO has ruled out rumored plans to start charging for its widely-used country, currency, and language codes....","rel":"","context":"In "Hi-Tech"","block_context":{"text":"Hi-Tech","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/hi-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23920,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/11\/21\/cops-should-not-be-troops.html","url_meta":{"origin":10712,"position":3},"title":"Cops should not be troops","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 21-Nov-11 6:12am","format":false,"excerpt":"An interesting essay from a former Seattle police chief on the increasing militarization of the nation's police forces. I don't agree with all of his solutions or diagnoses, but it's a thought-provoking read. #ddtb Embedded Link Paramilitary Policing From Seattle to Occupy Wall Street | The Nation As Seattle police\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44420,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/17\/the-case-of-the-active-and-passive-shooting-language.html","url_meta":{"origin":10712,"position":4},"title":"The Case of the Active and Passive Shooting Language","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 17-Aug-14 4:49pm","format":false,"excerpt":"An amusing (except where it's not) look at the different language used by the police when a civilian shoots another person vs a police officer shooting another person. 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