By Lauren Klein
Staff Writer
December 1, 2006
Police in Norwalk recently responded to a report of a group of 71s having a code 70.
Police have always had a distinct language of codes used for security over radio dispatches, but because codes have different meanings for different departments, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is trying to encourage the use of plain English.
So, in Norwalk's case, the translation would be a group of men - 71s - having a fight - a code 70.
The problem is that a Stamford police officer listening to Norwalk's codes would find the whole thing gibberish, because Stamford does not have a code 70 or 71. In Greenwich, where a code 70 means auto theft, but a code 71 does not exist, an officer would probably pause and ask for a code 36, or a repeat.
On a daily basis, police officers speaking in code in their own departments is a relatively efficient way to communicate internally. But if officers from different departments have to come together for an emergency, a Norwalk officer might respond to a code 6 as a bomb complaint, while a Stamford officer would be returning to headquarters. A Greenwich officer would ask for a 36, since they don't have a code 6. A bomb threat in Greenwich is a code 390.
About two years ago, DHS called on local police to forget the radio codes and use actual words when several public safety departments are needed for one emergency.
Radio codes began in the 1930s when the early technology of two-way radio communication needed succinct commands. The codes simplified exchanges and kept information from criminals. But over the years, departments across the country developed their own lists of numbered codes.
Initially, Homeland Security made the phaseout of codes a requirement by Oct. 1. Those that did not comply risked losing federal emergency-preparedness funding.
However, the department has since backed off its mandate and made it a recommendation for daily use. Plain language is still required when multiple municipalities are needed.
As a result, the Greenwich, Norwalk and Stamford police departments have responded differently to the recommendation.
Greenwich Police Chief James Walters said his department uses its myriad list of more than 100 codes and does not want the public to know what the numbers mean.
Officers will use English in an emergency, when they must work with other municipalities under an Incident Command System, Walters said. ICS is a standardized response management system first used by fire departments to coordinate in large-scale fires but was expanded to include all emergency personnel under Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Response Plan.
"It would be a major thing for us to be working in command," Walters said. "I feel pretty good that our personnel would be able to adjust."
The Norwalk Police Department finds itself in transition, speaking part code, part English. Police Chief Harry Rilling said they are looking for a permanent dispatch director to coordinate and oversee the official protocol.
So while the rule of thumb is to speak plain English, "it's hard to break old habits," Rilling said. "While the transition to plain language is something to work towards, some of the officers still revert."
In Stamford, officers use a handful of codes with very basic meanings, from code 2, meaning urgent, to code 30, meaning officer needs immediate assistance. Otherwise, they speak English, said Lt. Sean Cooney, a Stamford police spokesman.
"I think we also found it easier," Cooney said. "The genesis for doing it with a code was to keep it more secret, but I think we came to the realization that it wasn't such a big deal, and it made for cumbersome transitions."
Rilling said most people who listen to police scanners figure out what the codes mean anyway.
Norwalk police Sgt. Marc Lepore, president of the Norwalk Police Union, raised concerns that speaking in plain language on a routine basis was leading to problems.
He cited a recent situation in Norwalk when officers were talking with three men outside of a car after having pulled the men over. The officers asked the dispatcher to check the car's registration, and when the dispatcher, without codes, responded that the car was stolen out of Stamford, the detained men heard and took off, Lepore said. One 71 - man - was caught, but two got away, he said.
"As soon as they know they are wanted, it is usually fight or flight," Lepore said. "I understand the intent of the plain language, however my main concern is for the officers and their safety. I feel plain language would jeopardize their safety."
The bottom line is that while one police department will say they have a code 340 when it has administrative meetings, all departments need to "call the important stuff what it is," Cooney said. "Just say, 'There is an explosion.' "
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.