Around the Neighborhood
Amherst — 10:45 a.m.
Toddler Locked in a Blue Toyota Camry at the Bath & Body Works on Niagara Falls Boulevard
Vehicle sitting in the 1569 Boulevard lot for ten minutes; Amherst PD goes in.
An Amherst PD officer keyed up at 10:45 with the kind of dispatch every parent winces at: "1569 Boulevard Bath and Body Works, then a vehicle there for about 10 minutes, a blue Toyota Camry, appears to be a 2-year-old child locked inside, Henry Edward George, 4739."[1] The plate read — "Henry Edward George 4739" is phonetic alphabet for plate H-E-G-4739 — was followed almost immediately by a calm "Got it" from the next car.[2] No transport, no fire department callout, and no further drama on the channel; the channel went back to ordinary patrol chatter within minutes. Hot June afternoon, Niagara Falls Boulevard. A good outcome, presumably, but a couple of minutes you don't get back.
Amherst — 12:49 p.m.
"Some Data Was Stolen From a Computer Over the Weekend, Cyber Attack": Amherst PD Takes a Report at 500 Crosspoint Parkway
Officer headed back to HQ to pick something up; case file open at the office park.
An Amherst PD car took a report at 12:49 in language radio cops do not usually have to use on the air: "500 Crosspoint Parkway — stop out for report, some data was stolen from a computer over the weekend, cyber attack."[3] The reporting officer signed off with "10-4, I have to pick something up at HQ real quick"[4] and nothing more was said on the channel. 500 Crosspoint sits in the office cluster off the I-290; the traffic doesn't name the tenant company, and the call appears to be a documentation pass rather than an active response.
Williamsville — 10:26 a.m.
Multiple Fire Alarm Activations at 5877 Main Street; Manual Pull at the Front Door, Zone 22 in the Smoke Bank
Williams Place reports; Amherst Fire 10-26 to the building.
Amherst Fire Dispatch announced at 10:26 a.m.: "5877 Main Street, this is the Williams Place Department. Now receiving multiple fire alarm activations. 10-26, Amherst Fire."[5] Two minutes later the operator on scene came back with "got a zone 22 in the smoke bank, and then we got a manual pull station by the front door."[6] The combination — a building-wide multiple, a smoke-zone hit, and someone pulling the manual at the entrance — pulls a full company in, but it read on the radio as a panel troublecode-plus-curious-occupant rather than a working fire. No transport requested, no second alarm.
East Amherst — 07:52 a.m.
Residential Fire Alarm at 5504 Oakfield Lane Clears as Verified Burnt Food
Between Golden Oak Circle and Via Marina; first-and-second-floor reporting, no injuries.
Amherst Fire took a residential activation at 5504 Oakfield Lane at 07:52, between Golden Oak Circle and Via Marina, with the in-company report indicating both first and second floor.[7] By 07:55 the company was clearing: "No injuries. Patient refusing aid. Carousel is back in service. 755 hours."[8] Two minutes after that the diagnosis came back over the air: "verified it's burnt food."[9] Cause of fire: breakfast.
Amherst/Clarence seam — 07:29 a.m.
Amherst Fire Asks Clarence for Hazmat Team on Standby Before 8 A.M.
No address surfaced on the channel; the request lingers, then quiets.
At 07:29 Amherst Fire Dispatch put the request out unambiguously: "Clarence, request for your hazmat team on standby."[10] Four and a half minutes later the same channel re-confirmed: "I know it's a request for your hazmat team."[11] No incident address, product, or transmitter location made it onto the air in either transmission, and the rest of the morning's traffic gives no follow-up. Read most likely as a precautionary heads-up; if there had been an actual release, the next twenty minutes would have looked very different.
Amherst — 14:11 p.m.
Amherst PD Tracks a 2013 Lincoln — Plate LUX 4206 — That "Won't Stop for the Sheriffs" Out the 290 East from Willis Park
Goes northbound on Sweet Home Road toward Maple, "stopping on the bridge," all cars vectored.
An Amherst PD car broadcast at 14:11: "This is 4206, not stopping for the sheriffs."[12] A follow-up identified the vehicle and direction: "290 east from Willis Park. LUX 4206. Shows on a 2013 Lincoln White."[13] Within a minute units were calling it northbound on Sweet Home Road, forging toward Maple, then a quick break-off: "stopping on the bridge ... all cars clear of the yard, your priority is a stop."[14] By 14:17 the channel was telling everyone to stand down on Maple: "No more cars needed for Maple. No more cars."[15] Reads like a low-speed flee/stop, resolved on a bridge, by Amherst patrol working in tandem with whoever the original sheriff stop belonged to.
Amherst — 14:41 p.m.
"Verbal Domestic and It's Getting Quite Heated Here": Amherst PD Asks for Another Car
Closed out a half-hour later as completed domestic paperwork.
Mid-afternoon transmission from a responding Amherst PD officer: "verbal domestic and it's getting quite heated here, we're going to be attempting to make contact, if you have one more car just slide them this way."[16] By 14:45 the same officer was clearing: "the male party here was actually on the phone ... we'll be completing some domestic paperwork here."[17] No address read on the air, no transport, no arrest tone.
Overheard: The Wires
Cheektowaga — 11:36 a.m.
Cheektowaga Fire Dispatch Issues an All-Channel Warning About Pirates
Said aloud on CFD Ch. 3 fireground at 11:36 a.m., spoken with the flat seriousness of a routine traffic advisory: "Make sure no pirates coming in that are close to sea."[18] Cheektowaga is not, in any meaningful sense, near the sea. The most generous reading is that "pirates" was a mistranscription of "patrons" or "patrols" and "sea" was probably "C" — some staging-area letter on a parade or event detail near the Galleria, where the same channel had been working a traffic reroute since 10:27.[19] The less generous reading is that someone in Cheektowaga, on duty, said the word "pirates" into a microphone on a Wednesday morning. Either way, it's the line of the brief.
Amherst PD — 10:55 a.m.
Two Words That Have Never Been Said Together Before, Said Together on a Public Channel
Spoken without preamble or follow-up by an Amherst PD voice at 10:55, in the middle of a Hampton Inn harassment call: "Skyhawk Carburetor Machinator."[20] The next transmission, six seconds later, on the same channel: "Hey, don't breathe."[21] The Listening Post offers no interpretation. The Listening Post simply notes that this happened.
Schools (Erie) / SGCSD Buses — 08:59 a.m.
A Field Trip Briefing in Eleven Seconds: "We Will Be Going to Hard Rock Cafe to Drop Our Students; Carl and Mary Will Be Going to Goat Island"
SGCSD Buses at 08:59, delivered with the calm authority of any school-bus dispatcher routing a regular morning: "We will be going to Hard Rock Cafe to drop our students, so just follow me. Carl and Mary will be going to Goat Island."[22] Hard Rock and Goat Island are both at Niagara Falls, so the logistics check out; the texture is in the matter-of-fact split of children between a tourist restaurant and a state park, like a two-sided menu.
Amherst PD — 14:03 p.m.
"He Has Numerous Domestics at the Address, But It's Just Dads and One-Year-Olds Now"
From an Amherst PD officer at 14:03, narrating a call history out loud and accidentally writing a short story in one transmission: "He has numerous domestics at the address, but it's just dads and one-year-olds now. Mom's refusing to come home."[23] Twenty-two words; an entire family in trouble.
Businesses / NXEGEN — 10:20 a.m.
A WNY Industrial Channel Achieves Total Linguistic Honesty
Caught on the NXEGEN business trunk at 10:20, full transmission, complete: "Holy [expletive], yeah, alright."[24] The Listening Post will not editorialize. This is the most accurate radio call we have ever logged.
West Seneca CSD bus radio — 14:27 p.m.
A West Seneca School Bus Driver Tries to Drop a Child Off Early on Southwestern Boulevard
From the W Seneca buses channel at 14:27, in roughly this order: "Could you please calm down?" — pause — "I'm on Southwestern Boulevard and see if I can drop her off. I have a chance to drop her off early today." — longer pause — "Can you tell me her name again? I'm sorry."[25] A three-act radio play about end-of-year tempers, recorded entirely by accident.
Niagara Region / Embassy Suites Control — 11:10 a.m.
A Shuttle Dispatcher in Niagara Falls Briefly Forgets She's Holding the Mic
The Embassy Suites Niagara Region shuttle control channel produced this five-second sequence at 11:10: "Chris and Leanne, did you hear that?" — "Came for." — "Are you married?" — "Never." — "Hello."[26] Ten minutes later the same channel had moved on to "the machine is leaking" in room 3719 housekeeping.[27] Some workplaces have water-cooler conversation. Embassy Niagara has radio conversation.
Amherst PD — 14:36 p.m.
A Resident Shines a Flashlight Into a Hole and Discovers a Hundred-Foot Cavern
Captured on Amherst PD at 14:36, no preamble, after the officer had been trying to reach someone by phone and getting voicemail: "From what the resident's telling me, when he shines a flashlight into it, it's a cavern, all the way to about the fire extinguisher, or the fire plug, which is about 100 feet or so."[28] The traffic gives no address and no follow-up. We have to assume someone is now sitting on top of a sinkhole and we hope they're okay.
Regional Blotter
Niagara County — 14:39 p.m.
Niagara County Fire Control Closes Bear Road at Raymond
NC FD Dispatch at 14:39: "Requesting you to close Bear Road at Raymond ... Use PF1-1440 ... and I'm shutting the road down every minute, Bear."[29] No injury info crossed the air on the closure transmission itself; the closure was active as the brief window ended.
Town of Hamburg — 07:37 a.m.
Combination Smoke / CO Detector at 3657 Wexford Lane Brings the Town of Hamburg Out
T-Hamburg Fire Dispatch at 07:37: "Combination smoke detector CO alarm activation at 3657 Wexford Lane, between Drayton and Brecken."[30] A second T-Hamburg dispatch at 08:33 sent paramedic response to apartment 321 of a Hamburg building for an 84-year-old male with abnormal breathing.[31]
Other Calls of Note
- BFD 07:13 — Apartment 301 EMS run for a female with chest pain on BFD Ch1.[32]
- Amherst Fire 10:24 — AMS call recommended at 7795 Miller Road; correction follows that it's off Swift Mill.[33]
- Amherst Fire 10:29 — AMS call to Creekview Court Apartments, 2402 N. Forest Road, Apt. 148; elderly female with cardiac issues, dizziness, rapid heart rate.[34]
- Amherst Fire 13:10 — Commercial fire alarm activation at 500 Commerce Drive, Suite 100, Erie County Distribution Warehouse (Ellicott Creek).[35]
- Amherst PD 12:24 — Possible domestic dispatched to 222 Princeton, apartment 14.[36]
- Amherst PD 12:39 — Sighting of a green motorcycle southbound near South High at Transit, "high rate of speed, going through lights."[37]
- Amherst PD 14:45 — Hit-and-run with injury; female complainant with neck pain, report taken on file.[38]
- NC FD 08:45 — BLS-priority run to apartment 245 at a Forest Parkway address, 70-year-old female, illness type unknown.[39]
- NC FD 09:50 — City Lockport, 165 Alcott Street upper apartment between Vine and Iota; 67-year-old male fell, shoulder/head pain, BLS priority.[40]
- NC FD 10:18 — Engine 6 to 881 Oliver Street, Apt. 2, 67-year-old female with chronic lower-right back pain.[41]
- EAFD 10:43 — "Just smoke, pretty cool" at the country club clubhouse, 300 Journal at the East Aurora Country Club.[42]
- Cheektowaga PD 1 09:37 — Units headed to the Walmart in Lancaster for "the Honor Walk."[43]
- Cheektowaga PD 2 09:20 — Mall coordination overheard: "We're probably going to end up shutting it down like a goal somewhere else in the mall ... people are just pulling in and coming in."[44]
- Lancaster FD 07:11 — Alarm activation at Wendling Court.[45]
- Orleans Co 14:18 — FD-EMS Paging to Navy Health, 301 West Ave for a 70-year-old female with possible pneumonia; Community Health and Mercy responding.[46]
- Wyoming Co 11:52 — 68 Main Street between Clough and Cork, 67-year-old female chest pain, clammy.[47]
Sources — Audio Files Cited
- [10:45] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-45-46 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 10-46-00.mp3
- [10:46] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-46-02 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 10-46-05.mp3
- [12:49] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 12-49-19 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 12-49-28.mp3
- [12:49] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 12-49-31 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 12-49-35.mp3
- [10:26] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-26-02 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 10-26-12.mp3
- [10:28] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-28-40 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 10-28-49.mp3
- [07:52] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 07-52-39 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 07-52-49.mp3
- [07:55] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 07-55-13 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 07-55-18.mp3
- [07:57] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 07-57-37 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 07-57-39.mp3
- [07:29] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 07-29-12 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 07-29-22.mp3
- [07:33] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 07-33-48 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 07-33-57.mp3
- [14:11] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-11-13 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-11-15.mp3
- [14:11] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-11-35 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-11-46.mp3
- [14:13] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-13-19 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-13-25.mp3
- [14:17] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-17-04 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-17-14.mp3
- [14:41] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-41-01 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-41-11.mp3
- [14:45] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-45-26 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-45-41.mp3
- [11:36] Municipalities / CFD Ch.3 FG — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 11-36-44 - Municipalities - CFD Ch.3 FG TO 11-36-48.mp3
- [10:27] Municipalities / CFD Ch.3 FG — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 10-27-47 - Municipalities - CFD Ch.3 FG TO 10-27-56.mp3
- [10:55] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-55-49 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 10-55-55.mp3
- [10:55] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-55-55 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 10-55-58.mp3
- [08:59] Schools (Erie) / SGCSD Buses — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Schools (Erie)\06-10-26 08-59-04 - Schools (Erie) - SGCSD Buses TO 08-59-13.mp3
- [14:03] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-03-20 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-03-32.mp3
- [10:20] Businesses / NXEGEN — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Businesses\06-10-26 10-20-53 - Businesses - NXEGEN TO 10-20-59.mp3
- [14:27] Schools (Erie) / W Seneca — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Schools (Erie)\06-10-26 14-27-39 - Schools (Erie) - W Seneca TO 14-27-40.mp3 & 14-27-41 / 14-27-51 (same channel, same minute)
- [11:10] Niagara Region / Embassy Control — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara Region\06-10-26 11-10-19 - Niagara Region - Embassy Control TO 11-10-28.mp3 & 11-10-29 - Embassy Control TO 11-10-38.mp3
- [11:20] Niagara Region / Embassy Control — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara Region\06-10-26 11-20-07 - Niagara Region - Embassy Control TO 11-20-16.mp3
- [14:36] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-36-23 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-36-36.mp3
- [14:39] Niagara County / NC FD Dispatch — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara County\06-10-26 14-39-45 - Niagara County - NC FD Dispatch TO 14-39-55.mp3 & 14-40-07 - NC FD Dispatch TO 14-40-11.mp3
- [07:37] Municipalities / T-Hamburg FD Dsp — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 07-37-50 - Municipalities - T-Hamburg FD Dsp TO 07-38-00.mp3
- [08:33] Municipalities / T-Hamburg FD Dsp — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 08-33-40 - Municipalities - T-Hamburg FD Dsp TO 08-33-47.mp3
- [07:13] Erie County / BFD Ch1 Disp — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Erie County\06-10-26 07-13-36 - Erie County - BFD Ch1 Disp TO 07-13-42.mp3
- [10:24] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-24-22 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 10-24-32.mp3
- [10:29] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 10-29-19 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis TO 10-29-29.mp3
- [13:10] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst Fire Dis — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 13-10-38 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst Fire Dis (Ellicott Creek commercial fire alarm activation, 500 Commerce Drive Suite 100).mp3
- [12:24] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 12-24-42 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 12-24-51.mp3
- [12:39] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 12-39-21 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 12-39-28.mp3
- [14:45] Amherst-Clarence / Amherst PD — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Amherst-Clarence\06-10-26 14-45-57 - Amherst-Clarence - Amherst PD TO 14-46-06.mp3
- [08:45] Niagara County / NC FD Dispatch — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara County\06-10-26 08-45-39 - Niagara County - NC FD Dispatch TO 08-45-49.mp3
- [09:50] Niagara County / NC FD Dispatch — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara County\06-10-26 09-50-24 - Niagara County - NC FD Dispatch TO 09-50-33.mp3
- [10:18] Niagara County / NC FD Dispatch — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Niagara County\06-10-26 10-18-15 - Niagara County - NC FD Dispatch TO 10-18-24.mp3
- [10:44] Municipalities / EAFD Dispatch — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 10-44-29 - Municipalities - EAFD Dispatch TO 10-44-36.mp3 & 10-44-36 - EAFD Dispatch TO 10-44-38.mp3
- [09:37] Municipalities / Cheektwga PD 1 — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 09-37-00 - Municipalities - Cheektwga PD 1 TO 09-37-06.mp3
- [09:20] Municipalities / Cheektwga PD 2 — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 09-20-51 - Municipalities - Cheektwga PD 2 TO 09-20-59.mp3
- [07:11] Municipalities / LncstrFD D1 — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Municipalities\06-10-26 07-11-21 - Municipalities - LncstrFD D1 TO 07-11-25.mp3
- [14:18] Orleans County / FD-EMS Paging — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Orleans County\06-10-26 14-18-33 - Orleans County - FD-EMS Paging TO 14-18-36.mp3 & 14-18-36 - FD-EMS Paging TO 14-18-43.mp3
- [11:52] Wyoming County / WyoCo Fire 1 — E:\ProScan Recordings\06-10-26\Wyoming County\06-10-26 11-52-06 - Wyoming County - WyoCo Fire 1 TO 11-52-13.mp3