10 Codes poll

[CAPTAIN KOOLAID]

Should security get rid of 10 like law enforcement has.
I say no.
reason #1
security does not have trunk radio system where the channel jumps every 7 sec

Reason #2 Must of use don not have encoded channel. We general issued or buy cheap stuff some are luck and get nice radio's but the main stay in security doesn't.

Reason #3
Since we use open channel radio's the 10 codes will help with ease droppers and with the general public that's with in earshot IE when you have a 10 86 which is indecent behavior which is better say over the radio S1 to S2 i have 10 86 in lot 2
or hey Mike this Bob we got two kids f***ing in south parking lot if you do the officer that get call maybe standing next family with small children
or better yet a 103 f is a fight if you use code no one in earshot will know what going on but if you radio hey bob there a fight in food court and may run over and join or make crowd control nightmare.

[publicsafetyred]

The intent behind ten codes was never to conceal the conversation. Older radios had horrible reception. The static on the older, and lower freq. lines was just as loud as the conversation. To combat this a list of 400 and 500 codes was devised, later changed to ten codes by most departments. It wasn't just law enforcement that used ten codes either, most fire departments did as well.

Now that radio, squelch, and other technologies are much better almost all fire departments, and some law enforcement departments have done away with ten codes and have gone with something called "clear text."

Clear text is just a formal way of communicating what you need quickly and professionally. I don't think there is a need for ten codes, unless your department uses some off-the-wall codes that you know no one knows.

Few examples:

Plain language: "Officer Smith go and meet with Officer Bob where he is located to help with a noise complaint."

Ten code: "Unit-1 10-87 with Unit-2 for a 415."

Clear Text: "Unit-1 meet with Unit-2 for a noise complaint."

[HotelSecurity]

The intent behind ten codes was never to conceal the conversation. Older radios had horrible reception. The static on the older, and lower freq. lines was just as loud as the conversation. To combat this a list of 400 and 500 codes was devised, later changed to ten codes by most departments. It wasn't just law enforcement that used ten codes either, most fire departments did as well.

Now that radio, squelch, and other technologies are much better almost all fire departments, and some law enforcement departments have done away with ten codes and have gone with something called "clear text."

Clear text is just a formal way of communicating what you need quickly and professionally. I don't think there is a need for ten codes, unless your department uses some off-the-wall codes that you know no one knows.

Few examples:

Plain language: "Officer Smith go and meet with Officer Bob where he is located to help with a noise complaint."

Ten code: "Unit-1 10-87 with Unit-2 for a 415."

Clear Text: "Unit-1 meet with Unit-2 for a noise complaint."

Montreal police, fire & ambulance still use 10-codes. The police also have other number codes. The ambulance uses Clausen Codes too.

[EMTGuard]

I say no.
reason #1
security does not have trunk radio system where the channel jumps every 7 sec

SNIP

Reason #3
Since we use open channel radio's the 10 codes will help with ease droppers and with the general public that's with in earshot IE when you have a 10 86 which is indecent behavior which is better say over the radio S1 to S2 i have 10 86 in lot 2
or hey Mike this Bob we got two kids f***ing in south parking lot if you do the officer that get call maybe standing next family with small children
or better yet a 103 f is a fight if you use code no one in earshot will know what going on but if you radio hey bob there a fight in food court and may run over and join or make crowd control nightmare.

As A scanner hobbiest and owner/moderator of a Yahoo Group for scanner users I'd like to point out two things.
Re:Reason #1- Trunk tracker scanners have been out for more than a decade and radios which "jump every 7 seconds" offer no advantage. Trunking was never designed to prevent non useres from listening in but as a way of being a more efficiant use of available spectrum.
Re:Reason #3- Ten codes offer little to no security from eavesdroppers who, after a short time listening, will figure out what your codes mean simply from the way you use them. The Police and fire departments here have dropped 10 codes and have not had problems with types of calls you mentioned. For the kids in the lot you can verbalize it without the crude language. "S1 to S2, respond to the north lot for a report of indecent conduct." Just act professionally.
For the fight in the food court, if your radio is blaring that loud you are probably irritating the crap out of shoppers with the noise. Turn the volume down some or better yet get ear plugs. That way no bystanders have to hear your radio noise.
As for them running over to join in, when you take off running toward food court they are gonna know something is up whether they hear the radio or not. "Dude, did you see that rentacop run by? Let's go see what's up?"
As publicsafetyred pointed out, keep it proffesional and clear and there is no need for 10 codes.

[EMTGuard]

Montreal police, fire & ambulance still use 10-codes. The police also have other number codes. The ambulance uses Clausen Codes too.

Yeah but they aren't getting Homeland Security grants from the US government and don't have to comply with ICS/NIMS as US departments are.

[craig333]

I was surprised to see security still using ten codes. I was working for CDF at the time they transitioned from 10-codes to clear text and it went very smoothly. Was handy to have them buried in my memory when I got this job.

[FrankW438]

The intent behind ten codes was never to conceal the conversation. Older radios had horrible reception. The static on the older, and lower freq. lines was just as loud as the conversation. To combat this a list of 400 and 500 codes was devised, later changed to ten codes by most departments. It wasn't just law enforcement that used ten codes either, most fire departments did as well.

Now that radio, squelch, and other technologies are much better almost all fire departments, and some law enforcement departments have done away with ten codes and have gone with something called "clear text."

Clear text is just a formal way of communicating what you need quickly and professionally. I don't think there is a need for ten codes, unless your department uses some off-the-wall codes that you know no one knows.

VERY WELL STATED.

10-Code is going the way of Morse Code. Why? There's a learning curve to it and technology has more than made up for the reasons we used these codes in the first place. If you want to say something confidentially, use a cell-phone, encrypted voice radio, text message, email, or landline. If you have to, make up a code and be sure to change it from time to time.

I am reminded of an agency I used to work for. We had a special code the dispatchers would say if the subject was wanted. Something like, "Code 20 no record on file." That way we knew he was wanted and he didn't know WE KNEW he was wanted. That way we could make the arrest on our terms and in our own timing.

But after a number of years, some of our regular customers would hear our dispatchers say, "Code 20 no record on file," and automatically turn around and put their hands behind their back, waiting to be cuffed.

-- Frank

[flashlightcop509]

Clear text is fine, but there are other incidents that could still benefit from a 10 code; Auto accidents are one... I'd rather call a 10-50 over the radio then to simply announce an auto accident, just due to the fact that people overhearing may go "Cool, let's go check it out" and end up only being in the way...

[HotelSecurity]

Clear text is fine, but there are other incidents that could still benefit from a 10 code; Auto accidents are one... I'd rather call a 10-50 over the radio then to simply announce an auto accident, just due to the fact that people overhearing may go "Cool, let's go check it out" and end up only being in the way...

Montreal Police do not announce the locations of 905s (traffic accidents) over the air mainly to prevent tow trucks with scanners racing to the scene to get the business. They do not give the addresses for 401 & 402s (burgular & hold-up alarms) either. These tyoes of calls are only given on the on-board computers.

EMT/GUARD I'm a long time scanner buff. What's your Yahoo group?

[SecTrainer]

Yeah but they aren't getting Homeland Security grants from the US government and don't have to comply with ICS/NIMS as US departments are.

My understanding is that ICS/NIMS doesn't require agencies to use plain-language for normal everyday operations - just emergency multiagency situations that would activate the command/incident system.

[SecTrainer]

We never thought of 10-codes as a "secret"...just an efficient way to communicate. It's not much different from other "trade lingos" that use various abbreviations, etc. to communicate efficiently.

Hang around a nursing desk and you'll hear sort of the same kind of thing:

"Hang vanco on 410B stat"...."Start an IV line with vancomycin on the patient in room 410, bed B immediately."

"Room B is PERRLA"..."The patient's pupils in exam room B are equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation"

...etc. Not 10-codes, but the same idea.

[FireEMSPolice]

I am actually trying to implement them at my mall. I already know my Assistant Security Manager is against them. I dont know how the management feels either. We also need to get people to know how to use the radio first. We have officers who will read a novel over the radio and others who will "force their traffic" regardless of what the dispatchers have going on, such as:

SEO: 46 (unit #) clear escort
Dispatch: clear

or

SEO: 46 (unit #)
Dispatch: Standby land-line
SEO: I will be clear of the escort

people at my work can be dumb with the radios

[Maelstrom]

EMT/GUARD I'm a long time scanner buff. What's your Yahoo group?

As am I... it's infectious isn't it?


As for emergency codes, they do still use those here though not the 10 codes as such, however any good scanner magazine/handbook contains these details

If SO's are having difficulty using the radios correctly... sounds like a pre-duty inservice session eh?

[jeff194307]

At the college where I work, their are radios in every dorm carried by resident managers. There are also a switchboard that has the main transmitter and as many as 6 security officers. We use the ten code simply to abbriviate radio traffic. Ther could be an emergancy situation suddenly happen at any of these locations and the ten code is the quickest way to let others know that help is needed. The real problem with ten codes is that they ar not standardized accross the country and this needs to be done. I had to re-learn the codes after using the west coast ten code for 15 or so years.

[HotelSecurity]

As am I... it's infectious isn't it?

It certainly is . It<s been my hobby for about 35 years now. I remember my first, one of the Radio Shack models that took crystals & had 4 flashing leds! Now it's a Bearcat Unicen digital truck tracker with hundreds of channels!