10-4

November 12, 2006 8:46 PM

10-32 about the 10-3 of 10-codes.
posted by grytpype (19 comments total)

10-69, aww yeah.
posted by wumpus at 8:58 PM on November 12, 2006

here are the codes on a less retarded background
posted by wumpus at 9:00 PM on November 12, 2006

Either everyone uses them in the same way or nobody should use them.

"My first reaction was, 'You've got to be kidding me,' " said Trooper Steve Mittendorff, 26, as he patrolled the Dulles Toll Road early this month. "How am I going to stop using something I've been using all these years?"
This guy's been a cop for, at most, six years and he's incapable of conceiving the use of another system? Its not like they were told they can't eat donuts anymore, jeez (yes, I went there and yes, it was a joke).

wumpus, much better!
posted by fenriq at 9:02 PM on November 12, 2006

10 code goes 10-7.
posted by Cranberry at 9:05 PM on November 12, 2006

Our EMS department switched to "plain talk" just this September due to requirements set forth by FEMA/NIMS. They said to switch or lose government funding. Civic services are underfunded as it is, so you can guess what most departments are doing. It was a pain at first, and still produces some hilarious situations, but things eventually smooth out. A complaint I still have concerns accents and people's general inability to annunciate. Hypotension or hypertension?

I still fail to see why a universal 10-code system would be a bad thing. I'd much prefer to quietly say "10-33" into the radio when a lunatic is sticking a gun in my direction, instead of "omg gun!" And hell, I think 10-4 and 10-20 are just culturally acceptable at this point.
posted by Plinko at 9:09 PM on November 12, 2006

Great, now I have the song "Convoy" stuck in my head.

I hope you're happy, grytpype.
posted by champthom at 9:16 PM on November 12, 2006

10-codes were discontinued by most agencies in the Western states many years ago, mostly as a result of adopting Incident Command System (ICS) as a method of organizing multi-jurisdiction emergency response. There was no unversal 10-code in the past, and there were misunderstandings of what was said in 10-code, especially when there was background noise; "Was that 10-4, 10-14 or 10-40? Clear text generally won out.

Now I'm trying to remember the 9-code series that we used. 9-5-2 was 'report on conditions', 9-5-4 was 'fire under control', and 9-5-5 was 'Fire out' (extinguished)...
posted by X4ster at 9:38 PM on November 12, 2006

When I was working with the park rangers/fire crew in Riding Mountain National Park, MB (as a Katimavik volunteer), we used the 10-code system a great deal. There was something elegant and concise about it; it just felt right. I'm sad to see it being phased out.

10-4, clear.
posted by tehloki at 2:21 AM on November 13, 2006

10-40:

# suspicious person
# dead animal
# mental patient
# lunch

Sounds like my Monday.
posted by randomination at 2:34 AM on November 13, 2006 [2 favorites]

I still fail to see why a universal 10-code system would be a bad thing.

Because with modern communications it doesn't serve any purpose except obfuscation and making the people conversing feel cool. Saying "Where are you?" is briefer than "What is your 10-20," saying "Man with a gun" has no more syllables than "10-33," "Fire at FOO" is shorter than "10-70 at FOO," etc. And many ten-codes can be confused for each other, so it's not for auditory clarity.

And even obfuscation doesn't have much of a point any more. If you don't want people listening in, encrypt your traffic.

I'd much prefer to quietly say "10-33" into the radio when a lunatic is sticking a gun in my direction, instead of "omg gun!"

Um. You do know that it's possible to pronounce the word "gun" quietly as well as to shout it?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:49 AM on November 13, 2006

I worked for Campus Security when I was in college, and we had our own set of 10-codes. Some were the same, but 10-13 was described to me as "a life or death situation where you're closer to death", 10-17 was a problem with students, 10-18 was a problem with non-students, things like that.

Saying "Where are you?" is briefer than "What is your 10-20"

We'd always say "What's your 20?".
posted by Lucinda at 7:05 AM on November 13, 2006

The only agencies that are using 10 codes around here are the police departments and even some of them are starting to slowly phase them out. I was kind of surprised that the NIMS requirements didn't come with a 'universal' list.

One of the most annoying thing about 10 codes is hearing people that have no idea what most of them mean trying to use them. Usually this is some soccer mom at the mall with an FRS radio. I wish I was kidding. As if FRS radios weren't annoying enough.
posted by drstein at 10:28 AM on November 13, 2006

I don’t see regicide.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:33 PM on November 13, 2006

They just need to create a public safety annex to the International Code of Signals.

"Sierra October Bissotwo, this is the police!"
posted by oats at 1:47 PM on November 13, 2006

Also, I bet I was the only one who scanned down the left-hand side of the front page and briefly thought, "hey, a post about rack-mount gear."
posted by oats at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2006

I've always found it bizarre to say on the radio, "103, 10-21 101 10-19," instead of just telling Larry to call John at the office. But I guess it makes some people feel more official and important in that they're "talkin' real cop talk"--in the same way that it makes some people feel that way just wearing a uniform.
posted by leftcoastbob at 5:24 PM on November 13, 2006

Good post, btw, grytpype.
posted by leftcoastbob at 5:25 PM on November 13, 2006

Isn't one of the advantages of the 10-code system the fact that it's easier to recognize a number than a series of sentences on a radio that is breaking up? It would be easier to communicate with, given poor reception.
posted by tehloki at 6:57 PM on November 13, 2006

Isn't one of the advantages of the 10-code system the fact that it's easier to recognize a number than a series of sentences on a radio that is breaking up?

No, because "ten-four" sounds the same as "ten-for..", so you don't know whether the person said 10-4, 10-40, 10-41, 10-42...

If you wanted a code that was for clarity, you might use one- and two-letter combinations from the phonetic alphabet, such as charlie-foxtrot and bravo-zulu.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:11 PM on November 13, 2006