DETROIT, WARREN OR S.E.C.I.D. - D.R.A.N.O. Undercover Terminology & Slang

[Hooligan]

BUT, I have to agree with Rob Dale. Should we (the hobyists) let out to the public the things we have learned through the hoby?? Dont you guys get it??? this is why more and more PDs are going encrypted!

You don't get it -- the intelligent bad-guys with scanners tuned to the right freqs have the same cross-section of intellect that we "hobyists" [sic] have. They can figure out most of the codes the same way you or I or any halfway intelligent scanner-geek would. The crossword puzzle in the NYT is a much more difficult task.

The same weak argument for not listing the lame, decades-old general surveillance codes here could also be made to not list *any* law enforcement frequencies here!

LE special investigations/special ops units *SHOULD* have encryption capability, and use it for sensitive operations. You're acting like instead of having encryption capability, they should just check this forum occasionally & say to themselves "Well, the honorable gentlemen scanner hobbyists on radio-reference are still maintaining the secrecy of our code-words, therefore, we have no need to use encryption!"

"More and more PDs are going encrypted" because the technology to do so is easier to implement on their radio systems these days, there are better federal grants & in some cases, mandates for encryption gear, AND they don't want any unauthorized people listening in (scanner-geeks, media, bad-guys). It's not a case of "Well, we know 50 'hobbyists' are listening in on our special investigations unit channel, but I don't think any bad-guys listen to it, so therefore, we don't need to waste $$ on encryption just yet."

Here are current examples of some of the 'highly-classified, very sophisticated' code-words that some of you are all worked-up about:

"Bird Farm" --- Airport
"12-bound" --- Headed North
"6-bound" --- Headed South
"Tin Can Park" -- Mobile home/trailer park
"The Glove" aka "The State" -- Michigan Avenue
"Toothpick" -- Woodward Avenue (*that* one took a while to figure out!)
"606" --- 12 Mile Rd
"404" --- 8 Mile Rd
"302" -- 5 Mile Rd
"Chastity" --- Middlebelt Rd
"Sweety" --- Big Beaver Rd
"Congress" --- Crooks Rd ("Congress" was an FBI code for it, can't recall if MSP CID used it as well)
"Mattress Factory" --- hotel/motel
"Maalox" --- gas/gas station
"Brain factory" --- school
"Roller" --- marked LEA unit
"Pie Factory" --- Police Station

All of the above have been in use on non-secure simplex & repeater frequencies for well over 25 years, and in the case of the MSP Criminal Investigations Division multi-agency task forces, the Red/Blue/Green/White/Suppressed VHF channels they usually used were published in Police Call since I started buying that book THREE DECADES ago. I haven't checked, but I imagine some of the CID Talk Groups on Michigan's 800MHz system are listed on the rr.com database.


Sophisticated codes for OPSEC are too difficult for them to use during fluid surveillance ops ("Uh, we're passing....hold on, I gotta look up the code name for the street we're passing...") so if they truly care about OPSEC, they need to use encryption (or something difficult for most threats to tune in -- Nextel Group Connect), instead of having an utterly false sense of security thinking that they're fooling anyone by using the sophomoric, ancient codes like those listed above.

 

[detroit780]

Codes

Yes these are the exact same codes almost every police department in Metro Detroit Area have been using for 30 some years.

90% of the fun listening to this is figuring out what they are talking about. I remember listening to the radio with a map of Detroit at my side jotting down what I heard then mating it to a location on the map. The Candy Bar (Mound Road), The Wire (Telegraph) The Nile (Grand River)

Once you figure all the names out it is pretty boring. All routine traffic, the fun is in the decoding by the listener. There used to be many BBS's years ago that had codes listed.
Most of the departments I listen to switch to Nextel if they don't have encryption and want to really get into details. Most not all but most understand people can and do listen and they understand what is required to communicate without spilling the beans. Unless they are on the verge of a bust and throw out the book and just talk in plain English because even if the perp is listening it's too late they are at his door.

Funny how some people get bent out of shape over this. The same people who call police departments and tell them he is listening and they should have encryption. That's ok but posting codes will force them to encrypt? Oh well to each their own.

Les

You don't get it -- the intelligent bad-guys with scanners tuned to the right freqs have the same cross-section of intellect that we "hobyists" [sic] have. They can figure out most of the codes the same way you or I or any halfway intelligent scanner-geek would. The crossword puzzle in the NYT is a much more difficult task.

The same weak argument for not listing the lame, decades-old general surveillance codes here could also be made to not list *any* law enforcement frequencies here!

LE special investigations/special ops units *SHOULD* have encryption capability, and use it for sensitive operations. You're acting like instead of having encryption capability, they should just check this forum occasionally & say to themselves "Well, the honorable gentlemen scanner hobbyists on radio-reference are still maintaining the secrecy of our code-words, therefore, we have no need to use encryption!"

"More and more PDs are going encrypted" because the technology to do so is easier to implement on their radio systems these days, there are better federal grants & in some cases, mandates for encryption gear, AND they don't want any unauthorized people listening in (scanner-geeks, media, bad-guys). It's not a case of "Well, we know 50 'hobbyists' are listening in on our special investigations unit channel, but I don't think any bad-guys listen to it, so therefore, we don't need to waste $$ on encryption just yet."

Here are current examples of some of the 'highly-classified, very sophisticated' code-words that some of you are all worked-up about:

"Bird Farm" --- Airport
"12-bound" --- Headed North
"6-bound" --- Headed South
"Tin Can Park" -- Mobile home/trailer park
"The Glove" aka "The State" -- Michigan Avenue
"Toothpick" -- Woodward Avenue (*that* one took a while to figure out!)
"606" --- 12 Mile Rd
"404" --- 8 Mile Rd
"302" -- 5 Mile Rd
"Chastity" --- Middlebelt Rd
"Sweety" --- Big Beaver Rd
"Congress" --- Crooks Rd ("Congress" was an FBI code for it, can't recall if MSP CID used it as well)
"Mattress Factory" --- hotel/motel
"Maalox" --- gas/gas station
"Brain factory" --- school
"Roller" --- marked LEA unit
"Pie Factory" --- Police Station

All of the above have been in use on non-secure simplex & repeater frequencies for well over 25 years, and in the case of the MSP Criminal Investigations Division multi-agency task forces, the Red/Blue/Green/White/Suppressed VHF channels they usually used were published in Police Call since I started buying that book THREE DECADES ago. I haven't checked, but I imagine some of the CID Talk Groups on Michigan's 800MHz system are listed on the rr.com database.


Sophisticated codes for OPSEC are too difficult for them to use during fluid surveillance ops ("Uh, we're passing....hold on, I gotta look up the code name for the street we're passing...") so if they truly care about OPSEC, they need to use encryption (or something difficult for most threats to tune in -- Nextel Group Connect), instead of having an utterly false sense of security thinking that they're fooling anyone by using the sophomoric, ancient codes like those listed above.

 

[rdale]

You don't get it -- the intelligent bad-guys with scanners tuned to the right freqs have the same cross-section of intellect that we "hobyists" [sic] have.

Again - why is this thread here if that's the case? I refer to post #1 -- just scroll up. Why not respond to the FIRST-TIME poster "They are easy to figure out, just give it some time"? Doesn't it seem suspicious that a FIRST-TIME poster says "give me all the code words"?

 

[kirk5056]

Hooligan, who are you trying to impress?? The "intelligent bad-guys" or us. I am sure it took you some time and a little help to get your list. Sure they can figure the stuff out with time, but lets make them use the time. I think most "bad-guys" are short on attention span but are pretty good at copying lists from the internet and passing them on.

I agree, the PDs should encrypt the real secret channels, my old department does the DB, drug and SWAT TGs. But if the PD decission makers think it is too easy (and some extra money comes along) we might loose routine channels like they did in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.

We (hobyists) should stick to the Tech stuff and let the operational stuff get out a little slower and with more work on the part of the people who are not known for "working" very hard.

 

[Hooligan]

Again - why is this thread here if that's the case? I refer to post #1 -- just scroll up. Why not respond to the FIRST-TIME poster "They are easy to figure out, just give it some time"? Doesn't it seem suspicious that a FIRST-TIME poster says "give me all the code words"?

So what's the magic # of posts someone has to have made before you're no longer suspicious about them?!

FIRST TIME or 666th TIME, it's irrelevent -- you either opt to give them some info because you don't think it's sensitive, or you opt not to give them info because you think it is sensitive. It'd be stupid to provide some info simply because you feel you've gotten to know the requestor & can 'trust' them, because by posting an answer to their question, you're making that info available to everyone who reads the thread.

My participation in this thread has been to neither help nor hinder the original poster, it's been to challenge those of you who claim that the codes for streets, directions, etc. are & need to be treated as sensitive law enforcement operations. I didn't even see this thread until after some of you had gotten all worked up over it & made comments that I thought were silly.


I do agree that -as others have said- part of the fun/challenge of listening in to stuff like that is using whatever brain power you have to figure out the codes on your own. Same thing with the 10-Codes that a lot of PDs use for brevity.


By the way, a second code word for Woodward Avenue besides "Toothpick" was/is "Texan."


/-/oolie

 

[rdale]

So what's the magic # of posts someone has to have made before you're no longer suspicious about them?!

The magic number for me is irrelevant. I'd never release that info...

I didn't even see this thread until after some of you had gotten all worked up over it & made comments that I thought were silly.

Unless someone edited their posts, I haven't seen anyone "worked up." It's okay for people to discuss things and have different opinions -- I fail to understand why people think any non-conformity means "fight time."