NCJ Number
84332
Date Published
1981
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The nature of codes and ciphers used by policy operators to disguise records of illegal betting activities associated with the numbers racket is described.
Abstract
The majority of those who use enciphered messages or codes feel secure in their concealment of dates, bettor, names, bets or wagers, payouts, summary accounts, etc., such that law enforcement agents will lack sufficient tangible evidence to prosecute. The codes used are elements such as letters, numbers, or symbols used to represent a whole word, phrase, sentence, etc.; for example, the number 39 might be the name of a policy runner, and R and H might mean 'using the race and handle method.' In substitution ciphers, the letters of the plain text are replaced by other letters, figures, or symbols but do not change their relative positions. In transportation ciphers, the letters stay the same as in the plain text, but their order is changed. In most cases, wager records do not contain bettors' names. The identities on the records are those of the writers. At an organizational level above the writer, investigation frequently encounters charts of bets above a certain amount arranged numerically on a chart so that layoff decisions can be made in another operation. Financial records typically list writers and their balances and include adding machine tapes showing the writer's gross action and computations used to determine the net amount due the bank. Examples of substitution and transportation ciphers are provided.