About

What you’re looking at.

CNY Wire shows the 911 calls that Onondaga County posts publicly, as a live feed, a map, and a searchable history.

Who runs it

MindHere Consulting, a technology company in Syracuse. We built it for our neighbors, and it’s free to use. It is not affiliated with the county, any emergency service, or Syracuse University.

Where the data comes from

Everything here comes from the county’s public 911 events page, which we check about once a minute. The county doesn’t keep an archive, so our history starts on the day we began collecting.

What it isn’t

This is not an official record. Calls can show up late, some never appear at all, and the times are when we saw a change, not when responders arrived or left. Don’t use it to measure crime or response times.

Please don’t call 911 or the county about anything you see here. In an emergency, call 911.

Call types

The county publishes no definitions. These are general descriptions of each call type, not details of any one call.

Alarm
An alarm system went off or was reported. The second part says what kind: burglary, fire, carbon monoxide, medical and so on. Many alarms turn out to be false.
Burglary
A burglar alarm went off at a home or business. It means a sensor was triggered, not that a break-in was confirmed. Most turn out to be false or accidental.
Robbery
A hold-up or panic alarm was triggered, usually at a business. It is a signal from an alarm, not a confirmed robbery.
Carbon Monoxide
A carbon monoxide detector went off. Crews check the building for the gas, which has no smell or color.
Fire
A fire alarm or smoke detector went off. It does not mean a fire was found.
Medical
A medical alert was triggered, such as a pendant or button used by someone at home.
Call For Police
An alarm asking for police, with no more detail given.
Unknown Type
An alarm was reported and the county did not say what kind.
Animal Complaint
A report about an animal: a loose, lost, injured, noisy or aggressive animal, or concern for an animal’s welfare.
Assault
A report that someone was physically attacked or hurt by another person.
Assist
A request for help that isn’t a specific emergency type, such as helping another agency or a member of the public.
Boat Complaint/Accident
A report involving a boat: a complaint, a boat in trouble or a collision.
Emergency
A boat or the people aboard are reported to be in danger.
Burglary
A report that someone entered a building unlawfully, usually to steal.
Call
A call the county listed without a more specific type.
Civil Dispute
A disagreement between people that isn’t necessarily a crime, such as a dispute over property, money or custody.
Criminal Mischief
A report of deliberate property damage, such as vandalism or a broken window.
Detail -- Fire/Ems
A planned or special assignment for fire or ambulance crews, such as standing by at an event.
Disturbance
A report of disorderly or disruptive behavior.
Domestic
A dispute or incident between members of a household or people in a relationship. Locations for these are blurred here.
Escort
A request for police to accompany a person or vehicle.
Explosion
A report of an explosion or a loud blast.
Fight
A report of people fighting.
Fire
A reported fire. The second part says what is involved: a house, a vehicle, brush, an appliance, or an investigation of smoke or an odor.
Appliance
A reported fire involving an appliance, such as a stove, dryer or furnace.
Fume/Odor Investigation
Crews are checking a reported smell of smoke, gas or fumes. No fire has necessarily been found.
Industrial / Commercial
A reported fire at a business, factory or other commercial building.
Investigation
Crews are checking a report of possible fire or smoke. No fire has necessarily been found.
Multiple Occupancy / Apartments
A reported fire in a building with several homes, such as an apartment building.
Outdoor/Brush
A reported fire outdoors, such as brush, grass, leaves or rubbish.
Residential
A reported fire at a house.
Transit - Bus / Train
A reported fire involving a bus or train.
Vehicle
A reported fire involving a car, truck or other vehicle.
Harassment
A report of repeated unwanted contact, threats or alarming behavior toward someone.
Hazardous Condition
Something that could be dangerous, such as debris in the road, a fuel spill, a gas smell or a damaged structure.
Illegal Hunting
A report of hunting where or when it isn’t allowed.
Intoxicated Person
A report of someone who appears drunk or impaired and may need help.
Juvenile Complaint
A report about the behavior or safety of someone under 18.
Larceny
A report of theft, such as shoplifting or something taken from a car or yard.
Lewdness (Flasher)
A report of indecent exposure.
Local Law Violation
A report that a town, village or city ordinance was broken.
Lost/Found Property
Someone lost an item or turned one in.
Menacing
A report that someone threatened another person, sometimes with a weapon.
Miscellaneous Complaint
A complaint that didn’t fit one of the county’s other types.
Missing Person
Someone was reported missing to police, such as a child or teenager who did not come home, or an adult who left a home, hospital or care facility. The county does not say who.
Motor Vehicle Collision
A crash involving at least one vehicle. The second part says what is known about injuries or damage.
Damage Only - J/O
A crash that just occurred, reported with vehicle damage and no injuries.
Hit & Run W/ Injuries - J/O
A crash that just occurred in which a driver left the scene and someone was reported hurt.
H&R Invest (No Injuries)
Police are taking a report of an earlier hit-and-run crash, with no injuries reported.
H&R J/O (No Injuries)
A hit-and-run crash that just occurred, with no injuries reported.
Injuries Presented
A crash in which at least one person was reported injured.
Possible Injuries
A crash in which someone may be hurt. It wasn’t known when the call was taken.
Structure Involved
A crash in which a vehicle hit a building or other structure.
Noise Complaint
A complaint about loud music, a party, a vehicle or other noise.
Open Door/Window
A door or window found open at a building that should be secured.
Police Information
Information passed to police. Often no response is needed.
Property Check
A request for police to look over a home or business.
Property Damage
A report of damaged property that may or may not be deliberate.
Robbery
A report that something was taken from a person by force or threat.
Shot(S) Fired
A report of gunfire heard or seen. Many are not confirmed.
Status Check
A request to check on a person or a situation.
Suspicious
A report of a person, vehicle or activity that seemed out of place to the caller.
Traffic Complaint
A complaint about driving or road conditions, such as speeding or a blocked lane.
Trespassing
A report that someone is on property where they aren’t allowed.
Vehicle Complaint
A report about a vehicle, such as one that is disabled, abandoned or badly parked.
Disabled
A vehicle that has broken down, often in or beside the road.
Water Problem
A water issue, such as a broken main, flooding or a leak.
Wire(S) Down
Utility wires down or hanging low. Treat any downed wire as live.

Statuses

pending
Reported to 911, with no unit dispatched yet.
active
On the county’s active list.
closed
Moved to the county’s closed list.
cleared
Dropped off the active list without appearing on the closed list.

Shorthand

J/O
Just occurred.
H&R
Hit and run.
Invest
An investigation after the fact.
W/
With.
MM
Mile marker.
NB, SB, EB, WB
The direction of travel: northbound, southbound and so on.

Privacy

Locations are approximate on purpose. Nothing is shown more precisely than the nearest intersection, and medical and disturbance calls are blurred further. There are no names, photos, or comments.

If you use “Near me,” we don’t store your location, but it is part of the page link, so remove that filter before sharing a link.

Credits

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors, via Protomaps.