9/11 Arlington County Police Dispatch Audio

By Arabesque

John Farmer has posted an audio file of a Arlington County Police Dispatch on 9/11. Farmer explained to me that the availability of this recording has been restricted:

It has always been available if someone wants to go [to the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center] and listen to it and do a transcript by hand (no recording permitted)... I can’t say they have never released it beyond the building before... I acquired it through the AC Police department after a great deal of advance work.

Farmer explains the content of the recording:

This is an audio segment from the Arlington County Police dispatch for 9/11 released to AAL77.COM. The Emergency Communications Center advises that the audio begins at 9:37 am and is ~3 minutes duration.

Arlington County Police Dispatch Recording (mp3 file, 6 mb)

Dispatcher - Kyra Pullian

Delta 352 - Corporal Barry Foust, located at the intersection of Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike

Motor 11 - Officer Alan Stone

Motor 14 - Officer Richard Cox, located at the intersection of S. Wayne Street and Columbia Pike.

This is an audio segment from the Arlington County Police dispatch for 9/11 released to AAL77.COM. The Emergency Communications Center advises that the audio begins at 9:37 am and is ~3 minutes duration.

Noteworthy is that this dispatch comes from moments after the 9/11 Pentagon attack. The dispatch is a communication of police officers who communicate the situation at 9:37 a.m.--the time of the Pentagon attack on 9/11. One of the officers describes the plane while another confirms smoke coming from the area of the Pentagon. The associated press gives us a transcript:

Officer Barry Faust: Delta three-fifty-two. Delta three-fifty-two.

Dispatcher Kyra Pulliam: Yes three-fifty-two.

Faust: I think we've just had an airplane crash, east of here, it must be in the District area.

Pulliam: OK.

Officer Richard Cox: Four-ten. It's an American Airlines plane, headed east down over the Pike, possibly toward the Pentagon.

Pulliam: Ten-four. Cruiser 50 direct.

Lt. Robert Medairos: Fifty. Ten-four.

First Unidentified Officer: This is 36. I'm en route. I see the smoke.

Pulliam: Delta 35.

Second Unidentified Officer: Delta 35. I'm en route also.

Pulliam: Any unit responding to check the area of the Pentagon, advise on channel one please, I have Delta 35, Cruiser 34 and Delta 352.

(Several units break in at once).

Pulliam: OK, one unit at a time. Motor 11.

Third Unidentified Officer: I'm direct, and there is visible smoke coming from that area, high visible smoke.

Pulliam: Motor 11 direct. Units once again ...

Pulliam: Keep all traffic on one-Adam, restricted until further notice. Units responding for the report of the plane crash advise on one-Adam one at a time. I have Motor 11, Cruiser 34, Cruiser 49, Delta 10, Delta 453, Delta 35 and Delta 352. Any other units stand by response air, like Cruiser 50, notify each other.

Fourth Unidentified Officer: Delta 23. I'm going to be carrier three-zero-four and I will be standing by for further instructions.

Pulliam: Twenty-three, ten-four, thank you. Cruiser 50?

Medairos: Indirect. In response.

Pulliam: Ten-four. Is that enough units to respond for now or do you request additional?

Medairos: No. Stand by until we see what we've got.

Pulliam: Ten-four.

Fifth Unidentified Officer: Motor 2 responding for traffic.

Pulliam: Who's that responding for traffic?

Fifth Unidentified Officer: Motor 2.

Pulliam: Copy. Motor 2 responding for traffic also.

Third Unidentified Officer: Motor 11.

Pulliam: Motor 11.

Third Unidentified Officer: I'm responding, I'm on 110, and it's a lot, it's bad.

Transcript: Associated Press, September 18, 2001

While no officers directly witnessed the plane crash into the Pentagon, it is noteworthy that one of the reporting officers described the plane seconds after he witnessed the event. This would therefore be one of the first documented reports of the attack.