manchester police

Todd J. Fitzgerald Sworn In as New Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department
Todd Fitzgerald, Chief of Police
10 Central Street
Manchester by the Sea, MA 01944

For Immediate Release

Friday, Nov. 15, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Todd J. Fitzgerald Sworn In as New Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief

Chief Todd J. Fitzgerald was sworn in to his new role on Thursday, Nov. 14. (Courtesy Photo Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department)

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — The Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department is pleased to announce that Todd J. Fitzgerald has officially begun his new role as Chief.

Chief Fitzgerald, a 28 year veteran of the department, was sworn in by Town Clerk Christina St. Pierre at a ceremony overseen by the Board of Selectmen at the Masonic Temple on Church Street at 7 p.m. on Thursday, and officially assumed his new position on Nov. 4. He has served as the department’s acting chief since April 1, and also previously served as acting chief from February 2016 to October 2016.

“As someone who has served the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea for my entire career, it’s an incredible honor to take on this position, and I plan to use my experience and knowledge to ensure this department continues to provide the highest quality policing services possible to our community,” Chief Fitzgerald said.

As Chief, he plans to promote a Lieutenant, Sergeant and Patrolman, and also to maintain accreditation as a department, a signifier that an agency meets an extensive list of the highest quality policing standards.

Chief Fitzgerald is also currently pursing a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from California Coast University. In 2015, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from New England College in Henniker, N.H.

A lifelong resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Chief Fitzgerald is also an alumnus of the former Manchester Junior-Senior High School.

Prior to serving as acting chief, he served as a Lieutenant and the Department’s Executive Officer for approximately five years, working as the second in command of the police department. He was tasked with responsibilities including the administration and supervision of aspects of the department including accreditation, deployment of personnel, training, community policing, dispatch operations and internal affairs.

He began his career with the department in 1989 as a beach patrol officer and assistant harbormaster, and since then advanced from reserve/intermittent patrolman to patrolman/detective, to police sergeant in 2008.

Chief Fitzgerald has undergone extensive professional development and leadership training, including surf and shoreline rescue, air/sea rescue training, basic harbormaster academy, four day basic detective training, incident response to terrorist bombings, polishing the badge leadership training, sergeants leadership training, 911 liability training, police accountability and discipline for executives and a ten month police executive development training for police at the Municipal Police Institute (MPI).

He is additionally a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and certified Sexual Assault Investigator, and graduated from the 93rd FBI LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute, 152nd FBI LEEDA Command Institute and FBI LEEDA Supervisor Leadership Institute this April. He received the FBI LEEDA trilogy award for leadership training in April.

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Complete One Mind Campaign Pledge to Better Serve those Suffering from Mental Illness

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department
Todd Fitzgerald, Interim Chief of Police
10 Central Street
Manchester by the Sea, MA 01944

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Complete One Mind Campaign Pledge to Better Serve those Suffering from Mental Illness

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Interim Chief Todd Fitzgerald is pleased to announce that the Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department has completed its pledge through the One Mind Campaign to improve its response to those suffering from mental illness.

In October 2017, the Manchester Police Department pledged to join the One Mind Campaign, an initiative that was started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in an effort to improve the interactions between law enforcement agencies and those with mental illnesses. Departments that pledge to join the campaign are challenged to implement practices within their agency to improve mental health programming, training and procedure within a one to three year time period.

The IACP also provides resources to departments that pledge to join the One Mind Campaign, including a toolkit produced by the Bureau of Justice Assistance with resources for law enforcement agencies looking to partner with mental health providers, a model policy for law enforcement when responding to persons suffering from mental illness, and resources for planning mental health first aid and crisis intervention team program trainings.

“By pledging to this campaign it provided our officers the necessary tools and the ability to take a more proactive approach to helping residents affected by mental illness,” Chief Fitzgerald said.

The Manchester Police Department has implemented several initiatives to improve its mental health relations, including the establishment of a sustainable relationship with Lahey Behavioral Health, the creation and implementation of a model policy to address officers’ interactions with those affected by mental illness and mental health awareness and crisis intervention training for all full-time staff.

Manchester Police Sgt. Stephen Louf and Essex Police Sgt. Paul Francis have also organized and spearheaded the creation of an Overdose Outreach Follow-Up Team, comprised of members from both departments as well as Lahey Behavioral Health professionals and representatives from One Stop, a free prevention and screening service based out of Gloucester. The Overdose Outreach Follow-Up Team will meet with residents who have experienced a recent overdose and offer a variety of treatment options for substance abuse recovery.

“We need to take a proactive approach when dealing with mental illness,” Chief Fitzgerald said. “Even though our yearly numbers are small, if we can make a difference in one person’s life, then I feel that this team has done its job.”

The Manchester Police Department received a certificate of completion for fulfilling the goals of its One Mind Pledge from the IACP in May.

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Purchases New Safety Patrol Boat

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Wednesday, May 29, 2019

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Manchester-by-the-Sea Purchases New Safety Patrol Boat

Manchester-by-the-Sea has purchased a new public safety patrol boat that will begin servicing the town’s waterways this summer. (Courtesy Photo Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea)

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA– Town Administrator Gregory T. Federspiel, Interim Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief Todd Fitzgerald and Harbormaster Bion Pike are pleased to announce that Manchester-by-the-Sea has purchased a new public safety patrol boat.

The vessel, a 25-foot 2006 Defender model Safe Boat, will be used to patrol the waterways of Manchester-by-the-Sea this summer. The boat was previously owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and was taken out of service recently as the organization transitions to using new 27-foot versions of the vessel.

“In recent years, there has been an increase in boating traffic as our harbor has become more popular to resident and transient boaters,” Harbormaster Pike said. “This boat will allow us to have 24/7 access to our waterways to respond safely to incidents in our jurisdiction, in all types of weather.”

The town currently has another patrol boat that is used by the Harbormaster as well as a pump-out boat. The new boat will allow the town’s public safety departments to patrol town waterways without interfering with the operations of the Harbormaster.

Harbormaster Pike has trained members of the Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department to prepare officers to use the boat as a vessel for community policing on the water.

“This boat will offer our department an opportunity to respond to calls for service and emergencies on the water, educate the boating public and fulfill our responsibility as a public safety department within the borders of our community,” Chief Fitzgerald said.

The boat is currently being serviced and new electronic equipment is being installed. Once the boat is ready to be in the water, the police department and Harbormaster will jointly host an open boat day, where the public will be invited to Masconomo Park to meet members of the police department and the harbormaster.

“The purchase of this public safety patrol boat is a great step forward for waterway safety in Manchester-by-the-Sea,” Town Administrator Federspiel said. “Voters approved funding for additional patrol hours and for this new asset. Our waterways are an incredible resource, and this boat will allow our residents and visitors to enjoy what our town has to offer in a safe environment.”

Anyone with further questions about the boat can contact Chief Fitzgerald at the police department at 978-526-1212 or Harbormaster Pike at 978-526-7832. The date and time of the Open Boat Day will be announced on the Police Department and Harbormaster’s social media accounts in the coming weeks.

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Police to Host Drug Take Back Day Event

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Manchester-by-the-Sea
Gregory T. Federspiel, Town Administrator
10 Central StreetManchester by the Sea, MA 01944

For Immediate Release

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Manchester-by-the-Sea Police to Host Drug Take Back Day Event

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Interim Chief Todd Fitzgerald reports that the Manchester Police Department will be holding a Prescription Drug Take Back Day event later this month.

WHEN:

April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:

Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department Garage at 10 Central St. The garage is accessible by the parking area behind Town Hall.

WHAT:

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a semi-annual event that is administered by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country hold prescription “take back” events biannually in an effort to provide residents with an easy, accessible way to dispose of expired or unwanted prescription drugs. Drug Take Back events also serve as an opportunity for law enforcement agencies to educate the public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Studies suggest that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

“This event is a great opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted or expired prescription medication,” Chief Fitzgerald said. “It’s essential to have regular events like this to prompt everyone to dispose of these medications, and to keep the conversation going about drug abuse.”

Manchester-by-the-Sea residents are encouraged to drop off expired and unused prescription medications at the Prescription Drug Take Back Day Event, where Manchester Police will take over custody of the medication and properly dispose of it.

Residents should note that liquids, needles or sharps will not be accepted. All sharps can be disposed of at the Board of Health Office in Town Hall, at the Manchester by the Sea Fire Department, or via a sharps container from a local pharmacy.

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