Sunday, October 26, 2008

Time for Some Homework...

Okay. This is going to be an interactive post, so those of you form other states who read but don't comment need to come out of the woodwork and answer up. This will hopefully be an educational post for all.

The following are some of the code sections we use in California, and how they are commonly spoken. I want to know what the comparable code sections are in other states. In this list PC means Penal Code, VC means Vehicle Code, and HS means Health and Safety Code.

Robbery - 211PC (Two-Eleven)
Burglary - 459PC (Four Five Nine)
Murder - 187PC (One Eighty-Seven or One Eight Seven)
Assault with a Deadly Weapon - 245PC (Two Forty-Five)
Stolen Vehicle / Vehicle Theft - 10851VC (Ten Eight Five One)
Drive with a Suspended License - 14601VC (Fourteen Six Oh One, or just Fourteen Six)
Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance - 11550HS (Eleven Five-Fifty, or just Eleven Five)
Hit and Run - 20002VC (Twenty-Thousand Two)

Okay boys and girls, you have your homework. Let's have it...

10 comments:

TheBronze said...

I love it when dork coppers call it "One Twenty Twenty", instead of "Twelve Oh Twenty" like everyone else...

Captain Tightpants said...

The main one we use locally from the code section is:
18.2-250 - Possession of controlled substance (drugs) or 18.2-250.1 - Possession of marijuana.
Abbreviated as "a 250 violation" or "he has some 250" when used in plain speak.

Can't think of any other code-based ones we use here, but that's me.

5150Wife said...

Uh, I think you forgot 5150 ;-)

That was one of the challenging things about moving to a new state. JD had to learn all new codes (they don't call 'em Penal Codes out here) and radio codes.

A bit off topic: would you believe it's very common to hear "ok" over the radio out here in lue of 10-4, Code 4, or "clear".

Berserk said...

We don't base our slang on the statutes that way. For some things, we use NCIC clearance codes as slang. So you might hear an officer say fifty-four-oh-four instead of DUI. For others, we use dispatch short-hand. If we're talking about a pedestrian, then we might say DK for drunk. We say OTL instead of lunch.

We also absorb a lot of slang from the people we arrest, so you'll hear officers say things like "on paper" when they mean probation or parole, "bump up" for pedestrian contact, that sort of thing.

For the offenses you mentioned, we pretty much just use plain speech most of the time. About as slangy as we get with those is saying "agg assault," "MVT," or "DUR" (that last one is driving under restraint, which includes all the various suspensions, cancellations, and however else the driver's license offices classify people who can't drive).

5150wife: I'll go you one better than that. Ok, Code 4, and clear are all common on the radio here. So is "a'ight."

Anonymous said...

We're still on 10 codes here in NC. The citations and reports have code references on them, but they are not used on the air. The closest we have is an 18b, and alcohol violation.

FroneAmy said...

Most of them are ORC codes here. ORC = Ohio revised codes. I don't think we know of any departments here that use 10 codes.

J will usually throw codes for certain things. Offhand I do know that a '20' (twenty) is a domestic, and they will all use it in lieu of saying so and so got in an argument with his wife.

There are numbers they say when they are arriving or leaving a scene, but I can't remember then offhand. 35 (three-five) is one of them.

They often use 'clear' over the radio.
I'll have to hit him up for the rest of your list though.

Liz said...

In the federal system, I use a bunch of different codes.

Murder is United States Code Title 18 Section 1111

Robbery 18 USC 2111

Assault with a dangerous weapon is 18 USC 113

Under the influence of a controlled substance is in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), specifically 36 CFR 2.35(c).

Then, for Driving while license suspended (DWLS), I use 36 CFR 4.2(b), State Law Applicable and I cite the Alaska statute, which I'd have to look up in my ticket book. The ticket book is outside in the car. It's cold and I'm not wearing shoes.

For anything that's not in the CFR or USC, we use state law. So while we have 18 USC 1091 for Genocide, we don't have regular vehicle theft. We have an 18 USC for car jacking or we have 36 CFR 2.30 Misappropriation of property and services, which is simply taking stuff.

We don't use a lot of abbreviations. The only one I can think of off the top of my head (besides DUI, of course) is PCS, Possession of a controlled substance, 36 CFR 2.35(b)(2).

We use 10-4, 10-60, and code 4, but not "a'ight." ;)

Berserk said...

We don't use 10-60, we use code 1. Or, if we don't quite need the entire department to descend on our scene but we'd like a lot of help in a hurry we use "step it up."

You all should broadcast "a'ight" sometime.

LauraB said...

TX DPS is a 10-code situation, also.

Of course, you also hear the "I'll be out on that cattle in the roadway call..." more often than not out here.

(Interestingly, WV was comal...as in Comal County)

Illinois Guy said...

We're all 10 codes here in Illinois, No 'signals' or two-elevens.. If it's not a 10 code it's plain language.. :P

DWI is 10-55 (Being drunk is 10-56)
Hit and Run is a 10-57 (accident is 10-50)

The rest of the ones you listed are all plain language and there is not a common 10 code used..