Phonetic Alphabet
Another type of code used by Law Enforcement is the "phonetic alphabet." Put simply, this is the use of certain words that begin with a given letter, to stand only for the first letter. Paul is used for the letter P. Robert for R. Adam for A. If an officer were going to spell the name "Camille" over the radio, he/she would say, "Charles, Adam, Mike, Lincoln, Lincoln, Edward." The dispatcher would understand this as the proper spelling for the name Camille. Without the use of this phonetic alphabet, the dispatcher may hear Z rather than C or rather than E. According to Police Codes, " When communicating letters over the police radio or scanners they need to reduce the possibility of errors in communication. So it is common to use words in place of letters so there is a more distinct difference between each pronunciation."
The US Military also uses a phonetic alphabet for radio communications, but interestingly the words they use are different than those used by civilian police. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie is used for ABC by military personnel. Civilian police would say Adam, Boy, Charles. A copy of the Military phonetic alphabet can be found at the "Army Study Guide." The table below shows the phonetic alphabet used by Civilian Law Enforcement in the United States.
The US Military also uses a phonetic alphabet for radio communications, but interestingly the words they use are different than those used by civilian police. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie is used for ABC by military personnel. Civilian police would say Adam, Boy, Charles. A copy of the Military phonetic alphabet can be found at the "Army Study Guide." The table below shows the phonetic alphabet used by Civilian Law Enforcement in the United States.