Memorize the ten-codes

[swag]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10-4#10-0s

Ten-codes, properly known as ten signals, are code words used to represent common phrases in voice communication, particularly in Citizen's Band (CB) radio transmissions. The codes, developed in 1937 and expanded in 1974 by the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO), allow for brevity and standardization of message traffic. They have historically been widely used by law enforcement officers in North America, although the trend is away from their use in recent years with more departments discouraging the use of ten-codes and encouraging "clear" or plain language communications.

While "ten codes" were intended to be a terse, concise, and standardized system, the proliferation of different meanings has rendered it useless for situations where people from different agencies and jurisdictions need to communicate. For this reason its use is expressly forbidden in the Incident Command System.

Some organizations and municipalities also use other codes in addition to the ten-codes. An example is the California Highway Patrol's use of eleven-codes, The New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police Department uses eight codes as part of their communication.

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I use "10-42" all the time for its second-listed meaning.