Ever wonder what is happening when you see police or other activity in your Amherst neighborhood? Or where you work? There is a lack of local news in Amherst, MA. And certainly the official police blotter leaves out a LOT of information and is not real-time.

AmherstScanner transcribes real-time, publicly-available radio communication data that is gathered via multiple public and published frequencies and puts it in writing so that the citizens of Amherst and surrounding areas (Hadley, Belchertown, Sunderland, Pelham, South Hadley) can keep up with what is happening in town…in near real-time. It is essentially the Amherst Police Scanner, Amherst Fire Department Scanner, and, for those who really want to know, the Amherst Department of Public Works Scanner (pothole, anyone?).  AI does the transcription, so sometimes it is not accurate and even laughable.

Data is published about 15 minutes after transmission of original voice data.

Readers can contact us with any questions or suggestions for the site.

We would like to charge a small monthly fee to simply offset the cost of electricity, but we are not there yet. For now, we are asking for donations via the Buy Me A Coffee portal.

Disclaimer: Transcriptions are certainly not 100% accurate.

Hot off the air

___ Dispatch to 30. 30. Sir, if you could touch Breeze with a PD, I’m sorry, AFD on scene there again, and direct them to the box truck, they would appreciate it. Breeze, I just watched them drive off, you know where they went? They’re looping around to come find you. Received. I’m back at my cruiser, that’s where they just left from. Okay, received. ___ 30, Dispatch. Go ahead, 30. I’ll be out with Mass O-L-N, Sierra Alpha, 845-1161. And he’s just burning wood, because he makes designs in his truck. Everything’s fine. We’ll all be clear. Received. ___ 30 dispatch.

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November 2025
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Abbreviations

  1. RP = Reporting Party
  2. BOLO = Be On the LookOut
  3. CAD = Computer-Aided Dispatch