[Scan-DC] 10-code talk comes to end

[John Wilson]

".....leading the pack"??  Where have these California LE people been?  
They are about 5 years late.  The main reason Virginia stopped using 10 
codes around that time was because if they did not Homeland Security 
would not approve grants for equipment and other SWAT toys for them and 
other Virginia LE entities.

John

Alan Henney wrote:
> Visalia Times-Delta (California)
>
> July 2, 2014 Wednesday
> 1 Edition
>
> 10-code talk comes to end
>
> BYLINE: By, Eric Woomer
>
> SECTION: A; Pg. 3
>
> LENGTH: 606 words
>
> At the end of nearly every arrest, officers speak a simple, well-known phrase into the radio. Anyone who has ever seen a good crime drama knows what "10-4" means.
>
> Soon though, the 10-code, universal for "all is OK or understood," will simply fade away in favor of plain language that could help in the event of a natural disaster or major incident.
>
> Visalia Police Department is the only agency in the county, so far, to have begun the transition from 10-codes to plain language. It started late last year. For those who listen to police scanners across the county, 10-codes can still be heard from officers for Tulare County Sheriff's Department, Tulare Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, which uses 10- and 11-codes.
>
> Visalia is leading the pack in the transition, which was recommended by the Department of Homeland Security after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the terrorists attacks on 9/11.
>
> "The fear is there would be a large-scale incident with multiple agencies responding," said Visalia Lt. Brian Winter. "This has become a national trend for law enforcement."
>
> Visalia officers now try to use more common language when responding to crimes.
>
> The issue, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is no one was on the same page when responding.
>
> In Tulare County, Visalia police used different codes from Tulare officers, the Sheriff's Department and other agencies. While FEMA issued the directive as a suggestion, they've also attached stipulations that can make it harder for those agencies that don't switch to get federal grant money.
>
> Tulare County Sheriff's Department declined to comment on the switch.
>
> "It is important that responders and incident managers use common language," according to a statement issued by FEMA. "There simply is little or no room for misunderstanding in an emergency situation."
>
> The federal agency also encouraged all departments, no matter the size, to consider switching. One of the largest agencies in the state, CHP, hasn't begun transitioning. Locally, CHP officer Chris Diebolt says it makes sense to make the change, but no directives have come from Sacramento.
>
> "I can see the benefit. Plain language puts us all on the same page," he said. "10-35 may mean something totally different for Visalia police than it does for us, and we are in the same county."
>
> 10-codes have been used for close to 100 years. When they were first devised, officers rarely had to communicate with others outside their own agencies. The thought behind their use originally was to keep radio traffic brief to keep private some things from those who may be listening on the open waves.
>
> In some cases, whether it's officer safety or because it's common knowledge, some codes will still be heard over the radio, including 10-4 and certain response codes, Winter said.
>
> Officers and dispatchers took time to learn how to transition back to common language, but now that they're eight months into it, things are much smoother, he said. Winter added that Visalia officers spent time in Fresno to see first-hand how dispatchers and police were handling the transition. Fresno police transitioned several years ago.
>
> "The use of common terminology is about the ability of area commanders, state and local [emergency] personnel, federal operational coordinators, and emergency responders to communicate clearly with each other and effectively coordinate response activities, no matter what the size, scope or complexity of the incident," FEMA stated "The ability of responders from different jurisdictions and different disciplines to work together depends greatly on their ability to communicate with each other."
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