Chicago2210
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I have always woundered why when ever a CPD officer calls the dispatcher they always say "squad?" As in "squad can I have an event number for a platform check at Grand and the red line," thank you.
CPD radio term question
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Don't think their's a reason. CPD Radio lingo is in a league all on it's own..lol ! Mobile units just call out there call sign, instead of suburban and State Police method, or even CFD method. "Amb. 42 to Main"..."Chicago, C-150 Traffic Stop". Been like this since I started listening back in the 70's.
Someone once told me it was because the dispatcher was once in the "Squad Room" and it got shortened. Dunno if this is true or not but so many of the CPD and CFD radio protocols are traditional and the origins have been lost to time.
Basically it is because they "have always done it that way".
Basically it is because they "have always done it that way".
TheRover
Member
It used to be even more colorful. You would hear license plates checked for stolen status by requesting a "hot and cold". If the Officer wanted this and the owners info,drivers license status, etc, he would request a "deluxe". A "hand waver" was a citizen on the street, flagging down the Officer. Intoxicated person passed out : "Downer." A group of persons drinking on the public way or alley,etc." Bottle gang"
They will acknowledge recieving a call with "99" if riding a 1 man car, or 10-4 if riding 2 men on the car.
They will acknowledge recieving a call with "99" if riding a 1 man car, or 10-4 if riding 2 men on the car.
Mitur
Member
N9JIG, Werinshades, and TheRover all have it correct. here's sort of a 'cheat sheet" for ya on CPD radio lingo:
"Desk" - District Desk
"Office" - Watch Commander's Office / District Commander's Office also known as the "WC's Office" or the "DC's Office".
"Personal" - Gotta go to the restroom
"Uniform Adjustment" - fixing the uniform or it's accessories
RAP/Backlog - Too many calls for service and not enough units to answer calls...short on manpower
PDT - "piece of S%&t" it's the computer in the car also klnown as "the box" as in "Ok, Squad, throw it on my box"
RD# - General Offense Case Report Number used for administrative filing purposes and used to also be used for report tracking. CPD started using a system of report numbers based on one letter and six numbers back in the 1970s. Since then, CPD has filed so many reports that the RD#'s are now using a two letter and six number format. CPD started with A-000000 and is now at HT-and six numbers. These report numbers roll over and start all over again at 12AM every January 1st.
Event# - Event numbers were at first used only for certain items that the Department was interested in tracking and was expanded some recent years ago and now everything gets an event# assigned to it. You may hear a unit, for example: 663A may ask for an event# with his RD# request...this event# will be used to find and track this specific report. Event numbers are formatted over the air as five numbers, but actually is written at OEMC as: Month, Day, Year, and then the five numbers you hear on the air.
"Wave Off" - A unit decides they are closer to an incident than the unit assigned, and will tell the dispatcher to tell the originally assigned unit to disregard the call or "take a wave - off" and the originally assigned unit will usually happily return with a happy "thank you" to the unit giving the wave off since they now have one less thing to do.
"Slow-Down" - A dispatcher will tell responding units to a serious call to "take a slow down per the authority of" whatever unit issued the direction for no more cars.
"Total Disregard" - when the slow down doesn't work then a total disregard is issued. Units are now told to forget the call ever existed and go about their business if they weren't already on-scene.
A downer is now a "Man or woman down"
A homeless or mentally ill person is now either a "mental" or a "bum". These terms are interchangeable as the term "mental" has been complained about a lot and so they just will usually call a mental subject a simple "bum" and you'll hear sometimes "Squad, I'm transporting a bum to the psych unit". Some units will just simply call in a "hospital transport" or a "transport for a challenged person".
99 = one man car
10-4 = two or more men in the car
An ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband is now known as "baby momma" or "baby daddy"
On the north side (Districts 19, 23, 24), you'll hear trouble between a GLBT couple described as "lover's quarrel" and some units have more colorful terms that I will not use here.
A drunk woman will sometimes be referred to as "Beer bottle Betty"
During the daytime, you'll hear the school cars going to each school in their district to sign the log and then go back on the street, and sometimes you'll actually hear trouble at a school or they'll catch a few kids playing hooky. You'll hear all of these described as "dealing with delinquents".
A "zone" is a district radio frequency assignment while a "citywide" is used for details, special events, and other serious stuff that impacts the city on a wide scale. For instance, you'll hear "Units in 15 and units on citywide, we're getting a call of a person with a gun, person with a gun at xxxx W. whatever street name"
There are specialized units on those citywide frequencies.
"Walk and Talk" means foot patrol
Anything else you need, just ask.
"Desk" - District Desk
"Office" - Watch Commander's Office / District Commander's Office also known as the "WC's Office" or the "DC's Office".
"Personal" - Gotta go to the restroom
"Uniform Adjustment" - fixing the uniform or it's accessories
RAP/Backlog - Too many calls for service and not enough units to answer calls...short on manpower
PDT - "piece of S%&t" it's the computer in the car also klnown as "the box" as in "Ok, Squad, throw it on my box"
RD# - General Offense Case Report Number used for administrative filing purposes and used to also be used for report tracking. CPD started using a system of report numbers based on one letter and six numbers back in the 1970s. Since then, CPD has filed so many reports that the RD#'s are now using a two letter and six number format. CPD started with A-000000 and is now at HT-and six numbers. These report numbers roll over and start all over again at 12AM every January 1st.
Event# - Event numbers were at first used only for certain items that the Department was interested in tracking and was expanded some recent years ago and now everything gets an event# assigned to it. You may hear a unit, for example: 663A may ask for an event# with his RD# request...this event# will be used to find and track this specific report. Event numbers are formatted over the air as five numbers, but actually is written at OEMC as: Month, Day, Year, and then the five numbers you hear on the air.
"Wave Off" - A unit decides they are closer to an incident than the unit assigned, and will tell the dispatcher to tell the originally assigned unit to disregard the call or "take a wave - off" and the originally assigned unit will usually happily return with a happy "thank you" to the unit giving the wave off since they now have one less thing to do.
"Slow-Down" - A dispatcher will tell responding units to a serious call to "take a slow down per the authority of" whatever unit issued the direction for no more cars.
"Total Disregard" - when the slow down doesn't work then a total disregard is issued. Units are now told to forget the call ever existed and go about their business if they weren't already on-scene.
A downer is now a "Man or woman down"
A homeless or mentally ill person is now either a "mental" or a "bum". These terms are interchangeable as the term "mental" has been complained about a lot and so they just will usually call a mental subject a simple "bum" and you'll hear sometimes "Squad, I'm transporting a bum to the psych unit". Some units will just simply call in a "hospital transport" or a "transport for a challenged person".
99 = one man car
10-4 = two or more men in the car
An ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband is now known as "baby momma" or "baby daddy"
On the north side (Districts 19, 23, 24), you'll hear trouble between a GLBT couple described as "lover's quarrel" and some units have more colorful terms that I will not use here.
A drunk woman will sometimes be referred to as "Beer bottle Betty"
During the daytime, you'll hear the school cars going to each school in their district to sign the log and then go back on the street, and sometimes you'll actually hear trouble at a school or they'll catch a few kids playing hooky. You'll hear all of these described as "dealing with delinquents".
A "zone" is a district radio frequency assignment while a "citywide" is used for details, special events, and other serious stuff that impacts the city on a wide scale. For instance, you'll hear "Units in 15 and units on citywide, we're getting a call of a person with a gun, person with a gun at xxxx W. whatever street name"
There are specialized units on those citywide frequencies.
"Walk and Talk" means foot patrol
Anything else you need, just ask.
Event Number Additional
Event numbers are generated any time anything is done via the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). This could be a call for service, on-view assignment, station assignment etc. As Mitur said, it's for tracking purposes. On an event the dispatch, enroute, on scene, available times are documented. Each assignemnt, the beat car presses a status button. This is why when an RD number is requested, they also include the last 5 of the Event number. Today (Feb. 1st), it would look like this on the PDT:
#CPD1103212345
11 (Year)
032 (Day of year)
12345 (Last 5 of the event)
On a report, the officer would include the last 5 of the Event number in the narrative.
Event numbers are generated any time anything is done via the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). This could be a call for service, on-view assignment, station assignment etc. As Mitur said, it's for tracking purposes. On an event the dispatch, enroute, on scene, available times are documented. Each assignemnt, the beat car presses a status button. This is why when an RD number is requested, they also include the last 5 of the Event number. Today (Feb. 1st), it would look like this on the PDT:
#CPD1103212345
11 (Year)
032 (Day of year)
12345 (Last 5 of the event)
On a report, the officer would include the last 5 of the Event number in the narrative.
RADIOGUY2002
Member
PDT - "piece of S%&t" it's the computer in the car also known as "the box" as in "Ok, Squad, throw it on my box"
Awesome, ROFL.
Like Squad, can you reassigned that Parker or put it in the box for "later"......
Awesome, ROFL.
Like Squad, can you reassigned that Parker or put it in the box for "later"......
Also .."AIRA"
"Ask my Sergeant to approve my report in AIRA". CPD will do "most" of ther reports via their PDT's. They are carried around like a laptop. Before the report is able to be sent through the system,a supervisor must approve to be fowarded.
"Ask my Sergeant to approve my report in AIRA". CPD will do "most" of ther reports via their PDT's. They are carried around like a laptop. Before the report is able to be sent through the system,a supervisor must approve to be fowarded.
Trr
Tactical Response Report...used when any "approved force" is used during an arrest or detaning situation.
Tactical Response Report...used when any "approved force" is used during an arrest or detaning situation.
JimmyL1011
Member
The REAL answer:
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when police communications were conducted from the "Radio Room" (NOT from police headquarters at 1121 S. State but from City Hall) the dispatchers were never referred to as "dispatchers" but "Squad Operators."
I built my first police receiver in 1966 and I have been a Chicago Police Officer since 1982. I listened to an entire generation of Squad Operators who joined the CPD, worked the CC-room at 1121 S. State and who retired ALL BEFORE I joined the CPD. I used to fall asleep listening to Zone 6 during the Frank Zabonczyk, John Buck and Tommy Kolodziej days when they knew all the guys by their VOICES.
Alas, I never got the chance to listen to CPD on 1750 KHz during the "old days" from "The Hall" but I got to listen to the wild and woolly days of the Summer of Love, the 1968 Democratic Convention and the Peace and Civil Rights marches of the 60s and 70s.
Somewhere I have a little treasure of about 45 minutes on a cassette from New Years Eve from 1971 or 1972. The recording started about 5 or 10 minutes before the stroke of midnight and, of course, the madness and mayhem that followed. The dispatcher had NO cars available and the stress in his voice was palpable. "OK, cars in 007 and cars on Citywide, we're getting shots fired in the 1700 block of 61st St...ok, skip that......we're now getting a person SHOT at that location. Anyone near that want to take a look?" You really felt bad for this guy with a stack of dispatch cards and NO ONE to assign them to.
Hope this helps.
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when police communications were conducted from the "Radio Room" (NOT from police headquarters at 1121 S. State but from City Hall) the dispatchers were never referred to as "dispatchers" but "Squad Operators."
I built my first police receiver in 1966 and I have been a Chicago Police Officer since 1982. I listened to an entire generation of Squad Operators who joined the CPD, worked the CC-room at 1121 S. State and who retired ALL BEFORE I joined the CPD. I used to fall asleep listening to Zone 6 during the Frank Zabonczyk, John Buck and Tommy Kolodziej days when they knew all the guys by their VOICES.
Alas, I never got the chance to listen to CPD on 1750 KHz during the "old days" from "The Hall" but I got to listen to the wild and woolly days of the Summer of Love, the 1968 Democratic Convention and the Peace and Civil Rights marches of the 60s and 70s.
Somewhere I have a little treasure of about 45 minutes on a cassette from New Years Eve from 1971 or 1972. The recording started about 5 or 10 minutes before the stroke of midnight and, of course, the madness and mayhem that followed. The dispatcher had NO cars available and the stress in his voice was palpable. "OK, cars in 007 and cars on Citywide, we're getting shots fired in the 1700 block of 61st St...ok, skip that......we're now getting a person SHOT at that location. Anyone near that want to take a look?" You really felt bad for this guy with a stack of dispatch cards and NO ONE to assign them to.
Hope this helps.
It's still very real today and everyday. OEMC has some very knowledgable and good civilian dispatchers now. Unfortunately, the Call-Takers are stuck with the burden of taking just about every call and sending it through for dispatch. Since they switched from 11th State to the current OEMC, I enjoy the "narrative" on some of these tickets they send through. Dispatcher's policy is to read the job in it's entirety unless it involves sensitive information. That is pure entertainment...
Some of my favorites:
Go see the lady about her frequent flier (kid who runs away from home often)
Go meet the sidewalk inspector outside corner tavern (passed out drunk outside bar)
Car 52, you're invited to a party! (Go break up a loud party)
One I'm not sure of is "community concern", it seems like such a broad statement. Also wondering why uniforms need adjusting so often.
Go see the lady about her frequent flier (kid who runs away from home often)
Go meet the sidewalk inspector outside corner tavern (passed out drunk outside bar)
Car 52, you're invited to a party! (Go break up a loud party)
One I'm not sure of is "community concern", it seems like such a broad statement. Also wondering why uniforms need adjusting so often.
"Community Concern" is a problem that was brought up at a monthly Beat meeting, or by one of the Beat facillitators (Civilian beat event coordinator). This could be a loitering issue, prostitution problem, parking complaint etc...
"Uniform Adjustment" usually involves a uniform discrepancy that was probably pointed out during roll call by the Watch Commander...missing button, malfunctioning zipper etc. The officer usually get's a minor discipline infraction that the Watch Commander makes note of.
Priority status...1 is as sonn as possible, 2 is no priority.
Chicago13
Member
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- Jan 16, 2005
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- 40
Aaah okay. Thanks.
Heard a new one tonight on Zone 1. Didn't catch the first part of the call, but a car was sent to deal with what I assume was an animal complaint, when another cop jumped on and said "Can't we get the Squirrel Cops to go take care of that?"
"Squirrel Cops" meaning Animal Control :lol:
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