Scanner Terms, FAQ's and Basic Information
- Thread starter G1G4
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Out of curiosity, does anyone have any info on Charles' call signs on their radio?
I've figured out what an Adam (Patrol), Adam-Paul (acting sergeant), and Paul (sergeant) are. Traffic Ops is self-explanatory. I think "ID" is the investigative division, and Charles-Ocean is a corrections officer. But I'm a tad stumped on the rest. Clues/Thoughts?
Here's the ones I've observed, and taken guesses at:
Car (no assigned function?)
David (detective?)
John (PG liason? Uses 4-digit identifiers, which matches up with PG numbering).
Robert (School resource officer?)
Sam (Prison? SWAT?)
Victor (Vice/Narc?)
I've figured out what an Adam (Patrol), Adam-Paul (acting sergeant), and Paul (sergeant) are. Traffic Ops is self-explanatory. I think "ID" is the investigative division, and Charles-Ocean is a corrections officer. But I'm a tad stumped on the rest. Clues/Thoughts?
Here's the ones I've observed, and taken guesses at:
Car (no assigned function?)
David (detective?)
John (PG liason? Uses 4-digit identifiers, which matches up with PG numbering).
Robert (School resource officer?)
Sam (Prison? SWAT?)
Victor (Vice/Narc?)
Ah, that explains a few things. Does the lower the identifier (like 1xx over 2xx) signify a higher rank, or is Coffey the exception as Car #1 (which I don't think I've picked up on my scanner before).
Not really, the numbers are assigned to the individual when hired, with the exception of command staff. They have the lowest numbers and usually 2 digits. The three digits numbers are the numbers used when hired and once the officer retires the number is no longer used. However those that have been there the longest will have lower numbers and most likely have been promoted to a higher rank. There are a few exceptions, some just like to do patrol work and remain at a lower rank.
Ah, that's good info. I've only ever heard one two-digit identifier before, and that was a "Charles-Ocean" one, which I assumed to be a corrections officer. I frequently heard it when they were entering/leaving the county and going straight to the detention center.
They're still there:
Charles County Trunking System, La Plata, Maryland - Scanner Frequencies
However, unless you have a Uniden HomePatrol-1 (which gets its updates from RR), you'll have to program in a custom band plan in order for the scanner to properly track the new frequencies. Info on that is here:
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Rebanding
That's not a callsign, but instead law enforcement phonetic alphabet for saying "OK". State police agencies (MSP, DNR/NRP, MdTA Bridge Police) switched to the military alphabet (alpha, delta, november, romeo, tango, etc) a while back and abandoned the 10-codes (so "off duty" instead of "10-42"), but local police have stuck with the law enforcement alphabet (adam, david, nora, robert, tom, etc) and the 10-codes.
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You can find additional talkgroups (what a "channel" is called on a digital system) here at Radio Reference (great place to hang out for scanner info, hit the forums up if you've got any troubles with your particular scanner model):
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2847
MSP and MdTA technically have their own separate radio systems right now, both of which are old analog systems. But they participate on the county's digital system for the most part. At some point, the big wigs up in Annapolis will eventually bring FiRST down here, which is the all-digital, state-wide radio system for state agencies, and MSP/MdTA will use that instead. No idea if they'll still peer with the county system when that happens.
One outlier, is DNR/NRP. They operate on their TAWES system, and it's a bit of an odd one. They do not peer into the county system at all. More here:
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=607
The stupidity, waste and abuse that governs public safety in MD is truly astounding.