POLICE: Sheriff's department changes transmissions to plain English

By Britney Milazzo<br><a href="mailto:britney.milazzo@lockportjournal.com">E-mail Britney</a>

If you have listened to a police scanner for any length of time, you know that “10-4” is cop-speak for everything’s all right. But a lot of the numbered codes that police use to communicate with each other may leave you scratching your head, and asking “What did they just say?”

That has all changed for the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department. As of this month, scanner transmissions are in plain English.

Sheriff James R. Voutour said the change-over was completed last month when the entire office switched communication codes to what is called Plain Language Transmission.

He said as an example, that meant no more “Signal 15” or “15A”s over the scanner, which was code for “robber” or “robbery in progress.”

“From now on, you’ll just hear robbery or suicide and more,” Voutour said, explaining it is a learn-as-you-go process.

“It’s a big culture change, but we dedicate a lot of time to it,” Voutour said.

He said the idea came last year and the department began to practice the communication change to see if it was a good idea.

“I think it was a good fit,” Voutour said.

Medical Criminologist Steve Wallace, who often responds to fire and accident scenes, said he thinks law enforcement switching to plain language is the greatest change that could be made.

“In the interest of things running smoothly, it’s great to have,” Wallace said “It’s one of the biggest jumps forward, because everyone in the area speaks English and is on the same page.”

Although Voutour said plain language should be adopted by all law enforcement countywide, it could have a negative effect if not used properly.

“We hope our officers make the right decisions when to talk or what to say if they are standing next to the bad guy,” Voutour said.

He said an extra step will be used in this case to protect the officer.

“Our guys will probably ask beforehand if it’s clear to talk in that kind of situation,” Voutour said.

Voutour said he hopes all law enforcement in the county will change to Plain Language Transmission, but the Lockport Police Department has not made the switch yet.

Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said this is something he supports, but the change is taking a slow process.

“Part of the plain language switch involves a great deal of training,” Eggert said. “It’s not something that will happen overnight.”

Eggert said one way the transition will be expedited is when the city police department takes over all fire dispatch calls.

On Wednesday night, the Common Council approved the transfer of communication duties to the police department.

“It will certainly make things easier, but we want to be professional about it,” Eggert said.

Eggert said he does not want to hear things over the scanner like “gottcha” and “okie dokie,” but is open to the change in communication when disaster strikes.

Voutour said the main reason for the change is due to exactly that: “Major catastrophes.”

He said with a recommendation from Homeland Security, communication needs to be common in time of major activity so everyone understands the severity of an event.

Voutour used the crash last year of Continental Connection Flight 3407 as an example.

“While the NIMS (National Incident Management System) does not require plain language for internal operations, it strongly encourages it, as it is important to practice everyday terminology and procedures that will need to be used in emergency incidents and disasters,” a report form Homeland Security said.

NIMS is run by Homeland Security and implements the long-term effort by officials.

“Plain language is the future of law enforcement communication. Transitioning from 10-Code to plain language is not difficult, but it requires cultural change within the organization,” according to a report from the Plain Language Guide of the Department of Homeland Security. “Leadership from commanders and supervisors, along with buy-in from officers, is the key to success. As with all changes, the use of plain language improves with time.”

And with time, Niagara County law enforcement will be right on board.

Contact reporter Britney Milazzo at 439-9222, ext. 6251.

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