| dbo:abstract |
A police code is a brevity code, usually numerical or alphanumerical, for a crime, incident, or instructions for police officers. Examples of police codes include “10 codes” (like 10-4 for “okay” or “acknowledged—sometimes written X4 or X-4), signals, incident codes, or other status codes. These code types may be used in the same sentence to describe specific aspects of a situation. Codes vary by state, county, and agency. It is rare to find two agencies with exactly the same ten-codes, signals, incident codes, or other status codes. While agencies with adjacent or overlapping jurisdictions often have similar codes, it is not uncommon to find differences even within one county or city. Different agencies can have codes dissimilar enough to make communication difficult. There are similarities among popular sets of 10-codes. The topic of standardized codes has long been discussed in U.S. law enforcer circles, but there is no consensus on the issue. Some law enforcement agencies use “plain talk” or “plain language” which replaces codes with standard speech and terminology, albeit in a structured manner or format. Arguments against plain language is its lack of brevity, variability, and lack of secrecy that is often tactically advantageous or a safety issue when officer communications can be overheard by the civilian public. (en) |
| rdfs:comment |
A police code is a brevity code, usually numerical or alphanumerical, for a crime, incident, or instructions for police officers. Examples of police codes include “10 codes” (like 10-4 for “okay” or “acknowledged—sometimes written X4 or X-4), signals, incident codes, or other status codes. These code types may be used in the same sentence to describe specific aspects of a situation. (en) |
