20 of the Wildest Things Heard Over the Police Scanner

‘The dead person is alive’
20 of the Wildest Things Heard Over the Police Scanner

A police scanner is a nosy person’s dream come true. While yes, scanners can keep you informed on what’s happening in your neighborhood, they also can provide a little entertainment. Just ask the Redditor who listened to police officers fall over themselves as they tried to catch an emu named Houdini that somehow repeatedly escaped his enclosure. You can’t help but root for the aptly-named bird in that situation. 

Other Redditors tapped in as well and recalled the wildest things they’ve heard when listening to the scanner, and we really wish there was video footage for some of these.

6y I worked in the same building as law enforcement and 911, so often overheard the crazy. Most memorable: cop: I'm out in (far edge of rural county) and I've got a huge bird running loose. 911: what do you mean huge bird? Сор: like an ostrich. 911: might be an emu. Cop: good. I can spell emu. End of story, we have a farmer who started raising emus, one of which kept escaping. Other animal related: Houdini is out. Cattle farm in another part of the county had a bull that regularly gets out and goes to the
Zaieko . 6y Not crazy, but funny: Cop1 -We had a mom call in; Injured kid Cop2-What happened? Is the kid ok? Cop1-Just a bee sting, kids fine. (Nebraska) 208
HardPawns . 6y Not crazy perhaps, just funny: Constable to dispatcher: There's a pot hole here, filled with muddy water. I don't know if we should get someone down here to cover it up. Dispatcher: How deep is it? Constable: I don't know, it's impossible to see and I don't really have anything to measure with. Dispatcher: You do have boots on, don't you? Constable: Well, yeah... Two minutes of silence. Constable: It's deep. ... 5.8k
ma2566 . 6y The daughter of the mayor was driving erratically with multiple illegal guns in the car. The cops were tripping over themselves on the radio trying to understand exactly what needs to be done here since they haven't been able to get in touch with the mayor. Very entertaining ... 1.1k
Joe4o2 . 6y Once heard officers tracking down a 1999 Prius. As you may know, the Prius wasn't around back then. They searched for close to an hour for this thing before dispatch said, Wait...1999 Privea. ... 496
Xerox748 . 6y Listening to the scanners in Chicago, sometime around 2005. This cop gets on the radio and says he's found an arm. Like, just the arm of someone in the street. Не was pretty casual about it. Clarified by saying he wasn't a doctor, and he'd need one to confirm, but he was pretty sure it was a human arm. ... 2.1k
. 6y Not too long ago a couple buddies and me were smoking on the front porch listening to a high speed chase. It was a pretty gnarly one. No gun fire but the dude didn't give up easy and hit a lot of shit. It was happening right on our side of town so we were hearing the actual chase as well as the radio. We'd hear a loud bang and then they'd explain what he'd just run into.
amidalis . 6y Not my story but my dad's: When he was younger he listened to the cops getting a warning about a car accident and that there was a dead person. Some time later he hears another warning: The dead person is alive. ... 2.8k
Wiseguy72 . 6y Lived in a small town, so not much interesting would come over the radio. But once there was an escaped Llama on the loose that the cops were trying to find. That was definitely a highlight. ... 127
steveh_20 . 6y Years ago I heard a funny interchange between a cop and his dispatcher when they ran someone's plate. The cop kept using the Spanish pronounceation of Jesus, and the dispatcher would argue with the cop. It's Jesus! It says Jesus right here! ... 104
jondru . 6y When I was doing EMT training, I used to listen to the scanner all the time on my commute to my regular job--you know, to sort of get used to the radio traffic. So one day I stopped at a branch of my bank on the way to work to deposit a check or something. There was quite a line of people. I complete my business, get in the truck, and head off to work. Not even one minute after I pulled out on the road, the police channel came through with a robbery alarm--at the bank
reagor . 6y Big storm incoming, residents of area advised to evacuate, 1130am middle of shit storm, trees are falling, water is rising, , power is out, evac area is not driveable...dispatcher: (address in evac zone) called in, the water is up to her steps and now she would like to evacuate...random broadcaster: HA!... Listened for another half hour as all hell is breaking loose all around, I don't think the caller got to goto a hotel that night ... 69
taloncard815 . 6y Not crazy but funny. A call comes over for a dead cat in the road. One cop meows 2nd cop meow who said that? 3rd. I want to know meow Dispatcher meow who can take the call? Sgt. You need to stop this meow I don't remember all of it but for 10 minutes this went on and this was last night ... 685
LincolnFSternn . 6y Watching TV one night I see a police cruiser driving slowly down my (cul de sac) street sweeping his search light over and between the houses. I flip on my radio and the cruiser is supporting a foot pursuit of a suspect by a canine unit. The pursuit goes right through my back yard. I hear the canine officer, out of breath, reporting his status on the radio and then I hear the dog bark on the radio as I simultaneously hear the bark in my yard. They caught the suspect shortly afterwards but it was a
Tsquare43. 6y After the Super Bowl, I listened to the Philadelphia police scanner - We've got a naked man running down Broad St ... 44
Seeker469 . 6y When I was a kid (70's-80's), my family often drove to Memphis from Dallas to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with my grandparents from both sides. My great grandfather always had a police scanner running in the kitchen. One Thanksgiving morning, a call came across the scanner reporting that a man broke into a home and held the family at gunpoint while he stole their turkey and dressing. I recall my Dad saying that's Memphis for ya. ... 203
FuckBigots5.6y Yesterday one of my cities cops got called in on a domestic violence call and got his ass beat by a woman with a strapon. ... 122
potterpit55 . 6y We went by a cop trying to pull someone over that was going under 5mph. Since my fiance is a firefighter, we have all the local fire/police on the scanner... turn it to the channel and hear. God, She's got to be about 100 in the most fed up/sarcastic voice ever. ... 52
JeepSmash . 6y My niece getting pulled over for drag-racing. Her license plate was our last name with a 6 at the end. ... 1.2k
Lookie_Loo . 6y I use to work in news and this was probably one of the better conversations I heard. Listening during the evening and this came on: Dispatcher: Just had a call that a pizza delivery driver was robbed before dropping off the order Officer: ....okay. Do you have a description? Dispatcher: Well, the offender will have 7 large white pizza boxes and two 2-litres of pop Officer: (laughs) The dogs are going to have fun with this one. ... 201

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