Western MA Police Codes/Signals?

[neia7]

Hi,

Does anyone have an accurate list of codes/signals used by departments in Western MA (specifically UMass PD, Amherst PD, & Hadley PD as they seem to all use the same ones)?

The only ones I have so far are these, and I'm not even completely sure these are correct:

Signal 13-Call Dispatch
Signal 35-Verbal Warning
Signal 55-Building/Property Check
Signal 57- Clear-nothing found/no report needed
Signal 70: Motor vehicle Stop
Signal 90G-Suspicious MV/Person

Could anyone fill me in on the rest?

Thanks!

 

[zappbravo]

Hi,

Does anyone have an accurate list of codes/signals used by departments in Western MA (specifically UMass PD, Amherst PD, & Hadley PD as they seem to all use the same ones)?

The only ones I have so far are these, and I'm not even completely sure these are correct:

Signal 13-Call Dispatch
Signal 35-Verbal Warning
Signal 55-Building/Property Check
Signal 57- Clear-nothing found/no report needed
Signal 70: Motor vehicle Stop
Signal 90G-Suspicious MV/Person

Could anyone fill me in on the rest?

Thanks!

Pretty much every police department in Western MA uses different signal codes. I've dispatched for three different police departments in my career and have used different signal codes in each. But most places are using clear speech with the exception of serious calls (sexual assault, domestic, murder/DOS, ect...)

Nate

 

[DaveNF2G]

I always look hopefully at these "Western MA" threads to see if there is any info about the part of MA that borders NY. Never happens. Maybe people in MA consider Berkshire County to be "Eastern NY"?

(I'm at least half joking...)

 

[KB1UAM]

I know in Wareham mass uses signal 70 quite often. They also use most of those codes. Same number sometimes different meanings.

 

[ecps92]

Wasn't 413 annexed off as part of Prop 2 1/2 ??

I always look hopefully at these "Western MA" threads to see if there is any info about the part of MA that borders NY. Never happens. Maybe people in MA consider Berkshire County to be "Eastern NY"?

(I'm at least half joking...)

 

[garys]

I don't know how current this is, but you can try it.

WMA Scanning - Western Massachusetts Scanning Frequencies

 

[methusaleh]

The dork in me finds topics like this interesting.

I have worked for a variety of agencies (dispatch for municipal PD, municipal LEO, federal LEO, and call firefighter), but I have never worked for an agecy that used signals on the air. Codes, yes. Signals, no.

A wise man once explained to me about how the large city that he dispatched for uses their codes and signals, and I have heard this from other folks I've known over the years. It was quite simple. All you need to remember is that a "code" is an action that relies on a person to do something, and a "signal" depends on a mechanical device (usually a radio, especially in this context) to do something.

For instance, within the same agency, "code 1" might be asking an officer to call the station (officer initiates and makes sure that contact is made), however "signal 1" means for the officer to do a 5-count radio check (radio is being tested and may or may not work properly).

Or to keep it more simple, code 1 could mean the officer is occupied and unavailable to take a call, whereas signal 1 might mean the officer's radio is not mechanically able to be used.

 

[zappbravo]

The dork in me finds topics like this interesting.

I have worked for a variety of agencies (dispatch for municipal PD, municipal LEO, federal LEO, and call firefighter), but I have never worked for an agecy that used signals on the air. Codes, yes. Signals, no.

A wise man once explained to me about how the large city that he dispatched for uses their codes and signals, and I have heard this from other folks I've known over the years. It was quite simple. All you need to remember is that a "code" is an action that relies on a person to do something, and a "signal" depends on a mechanical device (usually a radio, especially in this context) to do something.

For instance, within the same agency, "code 1" might be asking an officer to call the station (officer initiates and makes sure that contact is made), however "signal 1" means for the officer to do a 5-count radio check (radio is being tested and may or may not work properly).

Or to keep it more simple, code 1 could mean the officer is occupied and unavailable to take a call, whereas signal 1 might mean the officer's radio is not mechanically able to be used.

I never worked in a department that has "codes" only "signals." Your explaination doesn't work for my past experience. A signal 6 is one of the departments I worked in meant he was out of serivce, while a sig 22 was return to the station. A "signal code" is just an old way of police codes used. A lot of departments in western massachusetts are still stuck in the 70s..