Mesa police abandon codes for plain English

Longtime Mesa police officer Rod Miskin is so used to speaking in code over his police radio that he sometimes even brings the language home.

The 12-year veteran of the force called the codes "second nature" as he drove around Mesa in his patrol cruiser Tuesday. And he joked about how his wife even knows what some of the numbers mean.

"We've been doing this for so many years," Miskin said.

But now, those codes are being phased out - and Mesa police officers are learning to talk over their radios in plain English.

"The (codes) we use in Mesa may not be the ones used in Chandler, Tempe or Phoenix," said Mesa police spokesman Detective Steve Berry. "It may mean something different there, so we try and make things as easy as possible for everyone to understand."

Currently, the meaning of radio codes varies from city to city. For example, in Gilbert, a 905 means that emergency backup is needed right away and a 906 means that a backup officer is requested, while in Mesa, 913 means send officers with lights and sirens.

Mesa police officials believe that by moving to plain English over the radios, the city's officers will be able to communicate with other agencies with less confusion.

But Gilbert police officials don't agree. Gilbert's radio codes are based on Maricopa County Sheriff's Office codes because the county used to dispatch Gilbert's officers years ago, said Gilbert police spokesman Sgt. Mark Marino.

"We tried English-only for a trial period and found radio codes or a combination works better for our agency," Marino said.

Gilbert police will only use plain English in task forces or special multiagency operations.

Mesa Assistant Chief Mike Denney said that in Mesa, the transition is going to take some time for the officers, but that in the long run, officials expect the system to be easier.

"If you listen to it today compared to what it was two weeks ago, you hear that momentary hesitation," Denney said. "(But) the officers seem to be doing a very good job at it."

Denney said that dispatchers are also learning to speak without codes, but that the transition has been more seamless for them.

Miskin said he has some concerns with plain English, specifically as it pertains to officer safety.

He worries that radios on officers lapels could blast information that they don't want suspects to hear. For example, if a suspect hears that police know he has a warrant, he may try to run. Miskin is also concerned that the longer phrases could lead to more radio traffic, making it harder for police to get on the radio.

Marino said the shorter radio traffic is one of the reasons Gilbert is sticking with codes.

"We have found, for our needs, that radio codes expedite transmissions and we can get information out more quickly," Marino said.

Still, Denney said the value of radio codes "is probably gone," since the agencies can't always communicate with each other using them and since many criminals have come to know what the numbers mean anyway.

"We know for a fact that some of those codes are so well-used that ... the guys would know," Denney said.

Chandler police are considering following Mesa's policy, but officials haven't made a final decision yet, said Chandler police spokesman Sgt. Rick Griner.

Tempe and Phoenix police departments are planning to stick with the code system they use now.

"If we ever get to the point where agencies can talk to each other," Denney said, "they've got to have an ability to understand what each agency means."