Allen County (IN)
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Trunked Radio System
Allen County makes minimal use of SAFE-T in all respects as it maintains its own trunked radio system, Allen County Public Safety. SAFE-T is the tertiary system to fall back to if both ACPS and the Allen County Government Services TRS are out of service. The Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA) makes use of SAFE-T when patient transports require it to go out of range of ACPS.
On the Air Lingo
Like any county, Allen County first response agencies have some particularities in their on-the-air lingo that might take some getting used to. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Ghost: Some officers will say that a subject is a "ghost" when there is a fatality involved.
- ACJC: The Allen County Justice Center (not to be confused with the Wood Juvenile Center). Home to misdemeanor courts, the Bureau of Identification, and the county jail. Payment for traffic infractions can be made here.
- Cadet: A member of the ACPD Cadet program; a program for high school aged juveniles to explore a future in law enforcement and encourage community involvement.
- Commission: Patrol car, squad car, etc.
- Parkview Regional: A regional hospital north of the City of Huntington. TRAA and ACFD will occasionally transport patients here rather than to an Allen County facility.
- TRAH : Pronouncing TRAA (Three Rivers Ambulance Authority) as if it were a word.
Some or all of these are the interpretation of scanner operators and may be inaccurate.
Police Agencies
Allen County is host to three distinct law enforcement agencies: the Allen County Sheriff's Office (ACPD), the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD), and an Indiana State Police Post (ISP District 22). ACPD and FWPD share a common set of radio signals, while ISP uses a separate, state-wide standard set of 10-Codes and Signals.
There is an exception, however: ACPD and possibly FWPD will use 10-0, 10-1, and 10-2 as ISP does. There may be other exceptions were they rely on 10-codes that are not elsewhere defined in the county signal code list.
Signal Codes
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ACPD
The Allen County Sheriff's Office (known as ACPD) has serviced the Allen County area since the first sheriff took office in 1824 and has had 50 sheriffs take office since then (including the current sheriff, Kenneth C. Fries).
ACPD is divided into several functional areas:
- Warrants
- Civil
- Internal Affairs
- Communications
- Operations (Not a formal division; see below)
- Special Operations
The operations division is further divided into:
- Patrol
- Field Service
- SWAT
- K9
- Investigations
ACPD is known for having a very strong K9 training program and provides such training for neighboring agencies, the Indiana State Police, as well as agencies from distant counties and states. ACPD was the second agency in the State of Indiana to have a SWAT/ERT team.
Unit Numbers
ACPD officers use their three digit badge numbers as their unit identifiers on the air unless they are a part of the command staff. Occasionally, a unit will identify itself by its car number. When multiple units are on duty in a single commission, one unit nominates itself as the sole contact for the commission (synonymous with "vehicle") for the shift.
Known Unit Prefixes
- 100-300 - Officers
- 600-700 - Reserve Officers
- 805 - Unknown Marshall
- 809 - Monroeville Town Marshall
- AC# - Animal Control/Field Service
- C### - Confinement Officer(?)
- EH## - Extra Help (Not Reserves)
FWPD
FWPD units are designated with an alpha prefix that denotes what sector that that unit is assigned to and then a three digit number, possibly corresponding to a badge number. When addressed, the phonetic for the sector prefix is used (e.g. "BAKER ONE-THIRTEEN"). So far, alpha prefixes are known to go as high as "O - Ocean".
Fire Agencies
Allen County is serviced by a mix of full time county fire bases and volunteer fire bases, which compose the Allen County Fire Department (ACFD), and full time municipal fire bases (FWFD). County fire agencies, with the exception of some Northeast Fire District personnel, rely on VHF for emergency communications. FWFD operates entirely on the county's trunked radio system.
Staging Levels
Both ACFD and FWFD use standard staging levels for emergency response situations.
- Level 1 - Lead pump to scene. All other units stage one block away
- Level 2 - All units stage at designated staging area
- Level 3 - Lead pump to scene. All other units stage near current location
- Level 4 - Task Force on station (1 pumper, 1 tanker, 6-8 firefighters)
- Level 5 - Ambulance crew on station
- Level 6 - Lead pump to scene (lights & siren). All other units proceed quietly
Allen County Fire Department
This information is specific to ACFD and may not be accurate or reliable when referring to FWFD.
Signal Codes
- 700 Disaster
- 701 False Alarm
- 702 We Can Handle
- 703 Small Working Fire
- 704 Working Fire
- 705 Send Extra Pumper
- 706 Second Alarm
- 707 Board Up Building
- 708 Arson
Bases
- 10 NHATFD HQ Station 3
- 30 Monroeville
- 40 NHATFD Station 1
- 50 SWACFD Station 1
- 60 Washington Twp
- 70 St. Joseph Twp (Part 2)
- 80 Arcola
- 90 Huntertown (Perry Twp)
- 100 Poe VFD
- 120 NHATFD Station 2
- 130 Hoagland (Madison Twp)
- 140 NEACFD Grabill
- 150 SWACFD Station 2
- 160 Woodburn (Maumee Twp)
- 170 Cedar Canyons
- 180 Aboite Twp
- 200 Churubusco
- 240 NEACFD Station 2 - Harlan
- 250 SWACFD Station 3
- 280 Aboite Station 2
- 870 Fire Arson Specialized Team (FAST Team)
Fort Wayne Fire Department
FWFD is composed of 18 active fire stations (Station 3 is no longer active).
Signal Codes
- 700 Emergency Evacuation Alert
- 701 First due in rig can handle
- 702 Two rigs can handle
- 703 Three rigs can handle
- 704 Working fire
- 705 Send extra pump
- 706 Two alarm fire
- 707 Board up scene
- 708 Fire Investigator
- 709 Knox Box Requests
Jurisdictions
ACPD has enforcement power within the entire county, though the patrol division is assigned outside of the city limits; despite this, many enforcement activities are performed by ACPD within the city. FWPD officers are firmly limited in jurisdiction to the city limits. ACPD has divided the county into districts which are identified alphabetically; the range and number of these districts is unknown. References to districts are rarely used, though they likely describe the patrol area of a particular unit. It is more common for ACPD units to use Signal codes to identify a particular location (e.g. Signal 121, Woodburn).
Monroeville
Despite being within the jurisdiction of ACPD, Monroeville (Monroe Township) maintains a town marshal; the currently appointed marshal has held the position since 1986. ACPD still services calls within Monroeville, however. The marshal maintains a separate job within Monroeville. The marshal has his own commission, one of the earlier Dodge Chargers to appear in service within Allen County, appearing white in base color with blue, reflective accents. It also appears that the commission is equipped to carry a K9 partner (like several past commissions). It is unknown, though likely, that the marshal's commission is equipped with an ACPS radio. The commission may also have VHF capability, as Monroeville often relies on VHF for emergency communications. There is photographic evidence that the marshal is also equipped with a mobile radio.
New Haven
Despite appearing to be conjoined with Fort Wayne, New Haven maintains its own police agency and has several fire houses under the control of the Allen County Fire Department, Adams Township. FWPD appears to have jurisdiction within New Haven, though patrols do not emphasize this area due to the empowerment of NHPD. NHPD relies mostly on marked Ford Police Interceptors, though is known to have unmarked CVPIs, one or more marked SUVs, and several marked Dodge Charger.