Niagara Police Release Audio of Man Irate Over Early-Morning Amber Alert Notification

Not everyone appreciates those early-morning Amber Alerts.

Niagara police released bizarre audio of a 9-1-1 call from an irate man upset he was awoken by early Tuesday morning’s Amber Alert sent to almost all smartphones in Ontario, reads a new report from Global News. Police sent out the urgent notice across the province before 5 a.m. for a three-year-old boy believed to be in imminent danger.

“Niagara emergency, do you need police or ambulance?” the dispatcher asks.

“I want to know who the hell is sending these alerts out,” complained the caller. “What right do you have to send an alert out to Niagara Falls? Wake me up at five o’clock in the f***ing morning.”

The dispatcher responded immediately.

“Okay sir, it’s an Amber Alert for a child that’s been abducted,” she said.

“I don’t give a s**t, okay?” the man responded. “Are you out of your mind?”

911 is intended for emergencies only. Calling to complain about an #AmberAlert ties up precious resources for others who may need help. We received 10+ complaint calls over yesterday’s alert for a 3 year old child believed to be in imminent danger. #AmberAlertWorks pic.twitter.com/04aLkAyyw5

— NRPS (@NiagRegPolice) May 15, 2019

Niagara Regional Police are reminding the public that Amber Alerts work and that calling 9-1-1 to complain about them only takes operators away from answering calls for actual emergencies.



“9-1-1 is intended for emergencies only,” said the Niagara Police on Twitter. “Calling to complain about an Amber Alert ties up precious resources for others who may need help.”

“We received 10+ complaint calls over yesterday’s alert for a 3-year-old child believed to be in imminent danger,” they continued.

Complaints regarding Amber Alerts are supposed to be made to the CRTC contact page. Canadians, unlike Americans, cannot opt out of receiving Amber Alerts or other emergency notifications on their smartphones.