The Ipswich Police Department, in collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and community partners, will hold an event to collect prescription drugs on Saturday, April 27. The annual Drug Take Back Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Middle High School. It will be combined with the annual Touch a Truck event, giving younger residents the opportunity to explore police, fire and EMS vehicles, as well as construction vehicles. National Drug Take Back Day is a biannual, free, no-questions-asked event that gives the community the opportunity to aid in the fight against substanc ..read more

IPSWICH — Chief Paul Nikas reports that the Ipswich Police Department is charging a man in connection with the accidental discharge of a gun at a local brewery last week. DONALD TERENZONI, AGE 35, OF NEWTON, N.H., is being charged with: Carrying a Loaded Firearm Without a License Carrying a Firearm Without a License Discharging a Firearm Within 500 Feet of a Building Possession of Ammunition Without a Firearms Identification Card Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (Three Counts) On Friday, March 29, at approximately 5:17 p.m., Ipswich Police were called to the True North Ale brewery ..read more

IPSWICH — Chief Paul Nikas reports that the Ipswich Police Department responded to an accidental gun discharge at a local brewery on Friday afternoon. On Friday, March 29, at approximately 5:17 p.m., Ipswich Police were called to the True North Ale brewery at 116 County Road for a report of a gunshot being fired. Officers arrived to discover that a man in the brewery’s dining area was shot when a gun he was carrying accidentally discharged. That male was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. A juvenile who was also in the dining area was transported to a local hospital as ..read more

Chief Paul Parisi and the Ipswich Fire Department remind residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when setting their clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time this weekend. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, and clocks will be moved ahead one hour at that time. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained are crucial life-saving devices that allow time to escape in the event of a fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), from 2014-2018, almost three out of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no ..read more

The Police and Fire Departments would like to share the following safety tips ahead of tomorrow’s expected storm. At this time, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning across Massachusetts for Tuesday, Feb. 13. Snow accumulations of as many as 7-13 inches are possible, with wind gusts potentially approaching 40 miles per hour. Travel could be very difficult to impossible with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The Police Department wishes to share the following winter weather safety tips ..read more

Chief Paul Parisi is pleased to report that the Ipswich Fire Department received a $14,251 grant from the Department of Fire Services Fiscal Year 2024 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. Fire departments across Massachusetts were invited to apply to the Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant program, which provides reimbursement on purchases of 135 different types of eligible equipment. Eligible items include hoses and nozzles, turnout gear, ballistic protective equipment, gear washers and dryers, thermal imaging cameras, hand tools and extrication equipment, communications resources, haza ..read more

Ipswich firefighters battle a fire Monday at a machine shop on Hayward Street. (Courtesy Ipswich Fire Department) IPSWICH — Chief Paul Parisi reports that the Ipswich Fire Department on Monday responded to a two-alarm fire at a machine shop. The Emergency Communications staff received a call at 3:16 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, about a fire at 24 Hayward St. Police and fire crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. When in route, personnel from Action Ambulance, also located on Hayward Street, reported smoke showing from the building and that employees had been evacuated. Engine 2 and Cars 1 and ..read more

A house fire doubles in size every minute. A heart attack victim’s chances of survival drop dramatically with each minute that life-saving care is not provided. In fact, many emergencies that our first responders deal with on a daily basis require the quickest possible action to produce a favorable outcome. That is why the Ipswich Fire Department is launching a campaign to make sure that every residence and business in town have proper, easy-to-see street numbers. “In a best-case scenario, it’s very frustrating for our personnel when missing or poorly-placed street numbers keep them from arriv ..read more

  Recent storms and downed limbs and brush from this summer and fall year has Ipswich residents cleaning up and burning debris from around their property.  The open burning season began on January 15th and runs through May 1st. A permit is required to burn brush.  Fire Chief Paul J. Parisi reminded residents to take advantage of the easy, online permitting process.  The Fire Department introduced online application and activation in 2020.  Both can be done at www.ipswichfire.org .  A permit costs $10 for the season. Burning on any given day during the season can b ..read more

Chief Paul Nikas shares that the Ipswich Police Department received  $30,467 in grant funds through the Edward J. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The grant funding, allocated by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR), was awarded to law enforcement agencies statewide to address public safety priorities.  Ipswich Police will use the grant funding for a camera system for its cruisers, which will increase transparency and public trust, assist in collection of evidence, and increase officer safety. Funding also will be used ..read more