Why does law enforcement say "baker" when military says "bravo" (and so on)? I don't know why that irritates me so bad.

2016-10-03T02:49:14-04:00

Response by SGT James Hinch made Oct 3 at 2016 4:07 AM

2016-10-03T04:07:12-04:00

A lot of people don't know the military phonetic alphabet, so they use common words instead. Having been Military Police, and now civilian law enforcement, it bugs me too when someone says Adam instead of Alpha, but you just have to go about insult them in your head and go about your day.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Oct 3 at 2016 5:50 AM

2016-10-03T05:50:17-04:00

Because they're using the pre-1957 phonetic alphabet.

http://olive-drab.com/od_phonetic_alphabet.php

Military Phonetic Alphabet

Military Phonetic Alphabet information and photos from Olive-Drab.com

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2016 8:13 AM

2016-10-03T08:13:12-04:00

I think police forces are already way too Militarized so to use baker instead of bravo is just fine, they shouldn't be just like us, we are here to defend the USA , they are there to protect and serve their communities.

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Oct 3 at 2016 8:26 AM

2016-10-03T08:26:09-04:00

American phonetic alphabet instead of international.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Oct 3 at 2016 8:33 AM

2016-10-03T08:33:17-04:00

Interesting thing that I've never really thought about before. Often when I've had to spell things out on the phone I've been told by the representative on the other end that I must be prior military because of the way I said a letter. Enjoyed CW4 Guy Butler's comment, could be that law enforcement is locked in the past, which would explain a lot of the current issues they are having. Whatever, as a believer in standardization think its time for everyone to use the same phonetic alphabet.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Oct 3 at 2016 11:10 AM

2016-10-03T11:10:13-04:00

Well I don't know why they say it, but I can only assume it irritates you because our military training is engrained into the very fiber of our being. It's not just a switch we can shut off at anytime. Hell, I used to not be a hat person, but now I feel naked going outside without something on my head.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 3 at 2016 11:58 AM

2016-10-03T11:58:50-04:00

It irritates you because you like things to be in a single universal order and dislike greys in favor of black and whites. It gets easier when you understand the history of how things came to be. So that answers your basic question. There were other military phonetics. We used to have a "Beaver Net" radio circuit that got renamed after the Navy decided it was OK to have women aboard ships. A common military phonetic was driven more by the creation of NATO which gets everyone on the same page. Also the wording is so unique in syllables, you can understand it better in poor conditions. You'll understand why hospitals page Dr Firestone instead of Dr Foxtrot when there's a fire. They dropped that because there frequently was a real Dr Firestone in favor of Code Red. Changes happen for a reason and if there's no reason to change, they don't.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2016 12:06 PM

2016-10-03T12:06:06-04:00

I really have no idea. But, I do think Baker may be better. Bravo might be misinterpreted by our populace as being somehow a brag.

Yes, I think we have gone that far in our judgement of the police.

Response by TSgt Steve Waide made Oct 3 at 2016 7:55 PM

2016-10-03T19:55:50-04:00

Great thought! I guess I'm going to have to get out of my military phonetic ways and try my best not to let them slip out of habit when I go through the academy.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2016 10:36 PM

2016-11-02T22:36:45-04:00

Most us them because civilians recognize Name and Objects. The Military uses words with 2 syllables to avoid confusion. So the old TV show Adam 12 would be Alpha 12 if done by the military

Response by SPC Casey Ashfield made Aug 31 at 2017 3:25 PM

2017-08-31T15:25:00-04:00

In my area there are tons of former military working in law enforcement. So I hear the current NATO phonetic alphabet all the time over the scanner and police band radios.