10-4 Good-bye
By Alex Carrier


No more good buddy for emergency services. After decades of using the 10 code system on radios, law enforcement has gone layman language.

Makes good sense, especially after 9-11 when the different 10 code systems for different agencies made communication difficult, sometimes impossible. But still, it is a sad farewell for those of us non-law enforcement who felt a comradeship while riding along with the boys in blue as we listened to our radios or home scanners.

Baby Boomers and late show/TV Land watchers may remember “good buddy”, “put the hammer down”, “Smokey alert” and “we got us a convoy”. Non-truckers got the lead out buying CB radios and reaching out for the companionship and good chatter traveling America’s roads.

Many of us caught the CB bug after watching Smokey and the Bandit. There was bad boy, Bandit Burt before the ManClub, Sally post Gidget and pre Steel Magnolias, the short and tall of Paul Williams and Pat McCormick and good buddy/backup Snowman Jerry Reed. Did I forget the ultimate Sherriff du jour Jackie Gleason? Who could resist joining the fun?

Suddenly, thousands of vehicles sprouted antennas and the airways became jammed with Bandit wantabes mauling the lingo and having a mostly wondrous time chatting with the hardworking men and women who had largely gone unnoticed by the average consumer of the goods those truckers hauled across the nation.

My CB came in handy each time I moved because, although I was usually making great time, I was frequently totally lost. Many a trucker helped me turn around and head for the correct exit before I ended up too many miles away from where I was headed and always going the wrong direction.

During my short stint as police dispatcher, I admit to difficulty learning all the code and made more than a few hopefully hilarious mistakes. It did slow things down while trying to remember the right code for the situation.

I suppose the truckers will still claim the 10 code as their own language though I see many now with more cell-phones than CBs. Emergency personnel will be able to their job a lot easier when they aren’t trying to figure out the correct code for “there’s an alligator in my backyard” or “there are cattle loose on the highway” (yes, I did have to call out for help with those).

Everyone and everything have their times but I have to say “I will miss you 10-4. Good bye, good buddy.”

If you like this blog read our free web magazines Virginia Greene http://www.vgreene.com/ and Greene Lite www.vgreene.com/greenelite.
© 2006 Virginia Greene