Highway Patrol TV show

Radrook said:
I still don't know what that ten-four meant.


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For those that don't know....The "ten code " had many meanings across the more than 19,000 Law Enforcement Agencies in the USA. Some of the most common ones.....10-3 Radio silence. 10-4 Understood or OK. 10-7 off duty at the station. 10-8 unit is starting their shift, available for calls. 10-9 Say that again, I didn't understand what you said.

Here in Toronto in the 70's and 80's Toronto Ambulance used a variation of the ten code on our radio system. Some of our unique ten codes went like this.......3292 is ten 8 on route to that code 4 at Jane and Bloor. 3292 is 10-7 at Bloor and Jane, send a second unit. 3292 is 10- 8 with a code 4 patient to St Joes, inform the ER the patient is VSA, CPR in progress. 3292 10-7 at Joes. 3292 is 10-8 need a supervisor to meet us at 32 station, re the previous VSA call. 3292 is 10-7 at 32 station.

We also used some abbreviations such as HBD mean "the patient has been drinking " or patient is a possible Form One, meaning the patient is having a mental breakdown, and should be seen by a mental health center, rather than a regular hospital. An address that has been a trouble spot before, was termed a "red list address " which meant the Ambulance crew would wait for Police to arrive, before going into the place together. The term "frequent Flyer " denoted a local nuisance person, who calls for non emergency reasons, often because they are drunk and lonely. In many cases they are standing outside their front door, with a packed suitcase, hoping to get a free ride.

The Monthly welfare weekend fights were a regular thing. We used to say "they get money, they drink, they get drunk and then fight each other, then we get called ". Welfare week end was when the Government assistance cheques would arrive in the mail. I considered it all a matter of job security. No matter how many city jobs might be cut, the cops, the firemen and the Ambulance guys would be the last ones to get laid off. We were the thin line, holding back the hoards. That has not changed, even today. JIM.
 
The stupid thing about High Way Patrol was the main character working in a suit and tie and fedora. No self respecting shift SGT is going to be wearing anything other than the issue uniform. The other dumb thing was him having a lever action rifle attached to the inside of the driver's door of his car. If it had been a Remington 700 model shotgun, it would have been more realistic, but the shotgun would have been stored upright between the radio and the dash board and locked in place with the muzzle pointing upwards to wards the roof. Of course it was Hollywood fiction, so details don't matter. JIM.
 
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