Paul A. Nikas, Chief of Police
15 Elm St.
Ipswich, MA 01938
For Immediate Release
Friday, June 8, 2018
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Ipswich Police Implement Program that Directs All Wireless 911 Calls to Department’s Dispatch Center
IPSWICH — Chief Paul A. Nikas is pleased to announce that the Ipswich Police Department has made the transition to a more modern system that will direct all wireless 911 calls dialed in town directly to the department’s dispatch center.
This week, Ipswich Police transitioned to the State 911 Department’s Wireless Direct program — a new system the department has long advocated for that will shorten public safety response times during emergencies.
Ipswich Police will now receive all Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint 911 calls originating from cell phones geographically located in Ipswich, rather than having them first go through a regional dispatch center. The change reduces the amount of time it takes to initiate a police, fire or emergency medical response while only slightly increasing the department’s daily call volume.
“Recent improvements to our communications equipment have enabled us to make the vital transition to this new service, which will enable all of our public safety personnel to more quickly respond to emergency calls in our community,” said Chief Nikas.
“Research has shown that decreasing the number of call transfers allows us to arrive at the scene of emergencies faster,” said Paul Polonksy, Ipswich Police’s Chief of Communications. “The seconds we save by using the new Wireless Direct program will make an impact on all who call 911, especially those facing life-threatening situations.”
The Ipswich Police Department is one of just a handful of police departments to have made the switch to the wireless direct program.
###