| GLOUCESTER — Chief Edward Conley is pleased to announce that the Gloucester Police Department held two successful fishing trips as a part of the Kops N Kids Youth Anglers program on Monday. |
| To view a video recapping the trips, please click here. |
| The Gloucester Police Youth Anglers program is designed to connect officers with young residents in a fun and friendly environment. |
| On Monday, July 19, officers, parents and students departed on a Gloucester Police boat to go fishing from the inner harbor to Ten Pound Island. Trips occurred at 10 a.m. and noon and lasted two hours. Each trip was at full capacity. |
| During the trips, officers worked alongside student participants and helped them to bait, cast, hook and release fish. Participants were also taught about fishing conservation and boating safety. |
| “These trips could not have gone more smoothly. All the participants arrived eager to learn, and it was great fishing weather,” said Lt. Jeremiah Nicastro. “This was truly a unique experience for everyone involved and we are so happy that our officers were able to teach our young residents about fishing, especially since some of the attendees had never been aboard a boat before. We cannot wait to meet more students as we continue this initiative throughout the summer.” |
| Additionally, officers taught participants about how lobster traps work and gave students the opportunity to haul a lobster trap. No lobsters were harvested. The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) provided the Department with a special license to do this. |
| Due to overwhelming program interest, as well as time constrictions, the Department will stop accepting applications for the program on Wednesday, July 28. To sign up before the deadline, please make an in-person visit to the Gloucester Police Community Impact Unit inside Browns Mall, 186 Main St., or to Three Lantern Marine, 7 Parker St. Parents or guardians will be asked to fill out an application and sign a safety waiver. |
| All Gloucester students ages 5 and above are welcome to sign up. |
| To accommodate as many student participants as possible, the Department has decided to increase the number of fishing trips offered to six per week. This will allow 18 students to participate in the program weekly. |
| “Community Impact Officer Peter Sutera and School Resource Officer Joe Parady came up with the idea for this program during a rainy day in the office. It is so exciting to finally see their vision come to fruition and I am amazed at our resident’s overwhelming interest in this program,” said Chief Conley. “Our goal is to get as many Gloucester students to join us as possible, which is why we chose to add more trips throughout the weeks.” |
| Students are chosen at random to attend the program, but preference is given to those who do not have experience fishing or boating. The chosen participants for next week’s trips will be announced on Friday, July 23 on the Kops N Kids Facebook page. |
| Weather permitting, the next trips will occur: |
- Tuesday, July 27, 8:30-10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30-2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, July 29, 8:30-10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30-2:30 p.m.
| Additional trips will be announced in the coming weeks. |
| Student participants should be dropped off 15 minutes before the scheduled trip time at the Harbormaster’s Office, located at 19 Harbor Loop. |
| A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend the trip along with their child. One parent per child is permitted to join. |
| For more information on the program, please click here. |
| For questions, please contact Lt. Nicastro at 978-325-5470. |
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