Police cliches
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection office sent out a news release referring to a man caught at BWI Airport with "monetary instruments" that exceeded the legal limit. What's wrong with saying money? Of course, the release could've been about securities and stocks. But then, why not just say it like that?
That got me thinking about policespeak -- the bureaucratic, official vernacular that cops use when they talk and write reports.
I challenged my good friend and Baltimore Sun Copy Desk Chief John E. McIntyre to come up with a few cliches and phrases containing unnecessary verbiage -- he flags them in our copy every day -- and he quickly responded.
I've got a few of my own to share, and some further explanations for his.
Mr. McIntyre mentions "wooded area" and "fled on foot." It's been my experience that cops usually combine this into: "fled into a nearby wooded area." What's wrong with "ran into the woods?"
Mr. McIntyre also cites, "10-4" as a tired cliche and wondered if even cops use it anymore. You don't hear it too much on the police radio -- even cops tend to prefer English to codes -- but "10-4" is listed on the Police Department's radio translation list. It simply means, "Acknowledged." (My favorite has always been "10-7" for out of service, which can be used for anything from a bathroom break to a dead body.)
Transportation writer Michael Dresser adds "restraining device" instead of seat belts. And Dresser recalls that back in the 1970s a reporter wrote that a driver had failed to negotiate a curve and the phrase made it all the way to the Copy Desk, which, if at all possible, made it worse, by changing it to "failed to drive on a curve."
Here's a few more:
"The argument ensued" instead of argued.
"Eluded" instead of got away.
Listen to Bill Toohey, the longtime spokesman for the Baltimore County Police Department, who uses English when he's talking on TV. I asked him why, and he gave a simple answer: "Because I'm talking to the public."
I'd love to hear from cops and anyone else on their favorite police phrases.
Comments
10-100. Bathroom break
Posted by: bill kaplan | October 30, 2008 10:13 AM
"Coop" (n) - Where on-duty officers went to catch a nap, back when that kind of thing happened. Think of the roof of the Northwood Shopping Center.
"Hole" (n) - When the officer didn't have a roof, he might look for a secluded stream side.
The difference between 10-7 and 10-100 - If dispatch received a call at the location of a 10-7, everyone expected the officer to answer. If the call was to a 10-100 location someone else went to make sure the officer and his gun were secure. There was a story about an officer on the late sixties or early seventies who went 10-100 at a gas station in the Western. A bad guy ran into the restroom and yanked open the door that had a gun-belt hanging on the coat hook. bad guy was shocked, but made the grab. he was caught later and the gun recovered. It could be that this was just a story used by the old-timers to warn the rookies.
Posted by: Bruce Robinson | October 30, 2008 2:49 PM