To the editor:
On September 20, 2021, the Ipswich Select Board voted unanimously to reject joining the North Shore Regional 911 center, which would have closed our local 911 communications center.
We understand it is the job of the town manager and the select board to look at every avenue in the best interest of the town and to do their due diligence to come to the best decision.
We thank the select board for giving everybody a voice and are extremely thankful that, after weeks of fact-finding, they decided to keep our local communications center open and operational.
We would also like to thank retired police chief/director of public safety Charles Surpitski, retired police chief Gavin Keenan, retired police detective Charles Cooper, retired deputy fire chief Jeffrey French, the Ipswich Police Association, and the International Association of Firefighters Local 1913 for their unanimous support and tireless efforts throughout this process.
Lastly, and most importantly, our thanks to the citizens of Ipswich for your overwhelming community engagement and vocal support for our local communications center.
To put the level of community engagement in perspective, we received and fulfilled hundreds of sign requests in under three days.
Subsequently, we started an online petition/community letter in opposition to this venture and received over 350 electronic signatures in just seven days.
It is rare to see that type of attendance at a select board meeting for just one issue. Every seat was taken, with an overflow into the hallway, mostly by citizens — catching the eye of the select board to the point where multiple board members referred to it.
This outpouring of public support was awe-inspiring and had your communications officers at a genuine loss of words.
Since February, when we were made aware of the select board’s intent to request the feasibility study from NSR911, it has caused great stress.
Not just to us, but to our families, who were all deeply concerned about us losing the opportunity to complete our careers in a job we love and for a community we love.
Nevertheless, even with our collective morale at an all-time low from this stressful time, our loyalty and commitment to excellence in serving the town of Ipswich never wavered.
Due to the support we received by everybody mentioned in this letter, our morale is now at an all-time high, and we look forward to serving the town of Ipswich 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, whether by phone or in the police station lobby for the foreseeable future.
With sincere and heart-filled appreciation,
Chief of Communications Daniel Morris
Senior Communications Officer David Irvine
Communications Officer Mark Polonsky
Communications Officer Jonathan Corwin
Communications Officer Colleen Soares
Communications Officer Paul Polonsky
Communications Officer Richard Sherrick
Communications Officer Henry Bilodeau