TRANSCRIPT: 911 Call And Police Radio Dispatches in the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

July 27, 2009— -- Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested on June 16 on charges of disorderly conduct, which were later dropped. The police was dispatched to Gates' house after a 911 call reporting a break-in. Here is the full transcript of that 911 call, made by Lucia Whalen, and the subsequent police dispatches.

DISPATCH: 9-1-1 (inaudible) what's the exact location of your emergency?

CALLER: Hi, uhm, I'm actually at (inaudible) Ware Street in Cambridge in a house, number is 17 Ware Street.

DISPATCH: Ok ma'am. Your cellphone cut out. What's the address again?

CALLER: Hi, uhm, it's 17 Ware. That's W-A-R-E.

DISPATCH: The emergency's at 7 Ware street?

CALLER: No, sorry, some other woman is talking next to me. It's 17 one-seven Ware Street.

DISPATCH: What's the phone number you're calling me from?

CALLER: I'm calling you from my cell phone number.

DISPATCH: Ok what's the problem? Can you tell me exactly what happened?

CALLER: Uhm, I don't know what's happening. I just had a, uh, older woman standing here and she had noticed two gentlemen trying to get in a house at that number 17 Ware Street. And they kind of had to barge in and they broke the screen door and they finally got in and when I (inaudible) and looked, I went closer to the house a little bit after the gentlemen were already in the house I noticed two suitcases. So I'm not sure if these are two individuals who actually work there or maybe live ther.

DISPATCH: You think they may have been breaking in?

CALLER: Sir, I don't know. Because I have no idea. I just noticed --

DISPATCH: You think the possibility might have been there? What do you mean by barged in? Did they kick the door in?

CALLER: No they were pushing the door in, like uhm, uhm, like the screen part of the front door was, had like cuts --

DISPATCH: How did (inaudible) the door itself with the lock?