Dallas Police Department dropping police code for plain English

A minor disturbance is a 6, while a major disturbance is a 6X. A major
accident is a 7X. An officer wanting to grab something to eat? That’s a
50.

Got that? 10-4. (Understood.)

Dallas police acknowledge there could be a slight learning curve for
some officers and dispatchers. But they don’t anticipate issues,
especially because the department already has practice using plain
language.

When Dallas housed Hurricane Katrina evacuees,
several agencies used the same radio system. So, the departments “had
to take care to use terminology that we would understand,” Dallas
Police Lt. Chris Aulbaugh said. Eric Aasen, Dallas Morning News

The article notes that different agencies with different codes had difficulty trying to work together after the 9/11 attacks.  The specialized language becomes a marker for members of the law enforcement community, but in times of crisis, according to the article, experienced officers realize you can get more done when you drop the specialized codes.

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