Welcome to Yarmouth Cape Cod 
Yarmouth - Cape Cod2010 Population: 23,793 Yarmouth
is made up of three villages; South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Yarmouth Port. There are three libraries, one in each village. Yarmouth boast fifteen
of Cape Cod’s finest fresh and saltwater beaches to laze away the days, four golf courses challenging all levels, many tennis courts for the more active,
and many hiking and conservation trails. |
This Yarmouth, Cape Cod Business Page is Sponsored by
NICKERSON STATE PARK
Travel the road to the upper campgrounds in Nickerson State Park and you may think for a moment that you have been magically transported to the Berkshire Hills or the piney woods of the Carolinas. Nowhere in sight are the sand dunes and salt marshes usually associated with Cape Cod. Instead, you are surrounded by woods that slope down to the banks of eight crystal clear fresh water ponds. Yet, if you walk or bicycle through the woods, you will find no rivers or streams feeding the ponds. These are “kettle ponds,” among more than 300 formed as glaciers retreated from the Cape over 10,000 years ago. Completely dependent on groundwater and precipitation, the water level in the ponds fluctuates from season to season and year to year.
Rte. 6A, Brewster, MA
phone: 508-896-3491
map / details
| WATCH: Barnstable Council Axes Flock Cameras in 7-3 Vote Despite Police Push Saturday September 05, 2026 |
| HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS ? Barnstable Town Council voted 7-3 on Thursday, September 3, 2026, to terminate the town's contract with Flock Safety and take down the four automated license plate readers operating in town, overriding a last-minute appeal from police leadership.
The following HN video containing footage of the meeting captures public comments, council debate, police presentations, and the final 7 to 3 vote. Police Chief Jean Challies and Detective Lt. Joseph Green outlined tighter controls the department has already put in place: restricted access, shorter data retention, routine audits, and a ban on outside agencies querying Barnstable's footage directly. They described the cameras as a focused investigative aid rather than a tool for tracking everyday travel, pointing to alerts involving stolen cars, thefts, weapons cases, hit-and-runs, and drug investigations. They also noted two shootings?one outside a Hyannis apartment complex and another at Craigville Beach?where plate data helped identify vehicles and suspects.
The four cameras sit on Route 28 near Santuit/Newton Road, Route 28 near Strawberry Hill Road, Main Street in Hyannis, and Yarmouth Road approaching the former Exit 7. Three of them concentrate around Hyannis, which accounted for 72 percent of the town's 1,996 reported crimes in 2025. Officials framed Barnstable, and Hyannis in particular, as a regional hub with a hospital, Steamship Authority terminal, mall, and airport, arguing the technology helps meet public-safety expectations.
Most councilors decided the added safeguards still fell short on privacy, independent oversight, and the town's relationship with a private vendor that operates similar networks nationwide. One councilor said residents in her precinct simply do not want the cameras. Others argued searches of the data should generally require a warrant except in true emergencies. Another suggested a citizen review layer. A fourth said the issue was less the technology itself than Flock as the company supplying it. Council President Craig Tamash, a retired Barnstable deputy police chief, was among the three who voted to keep the program, citing the restrictions already imposed and the loss of a useful investigative resource ? ?I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater? and I think that's exactly what we're doing,? Tamash said in a concluding statement.
The vote does not close the door forever. At least one councilor indicated support for a future automated license plate reader proposal if it included stronger privacy rules and clearer oversight?
In June, HN covered a story in Cotuit where a ski-masked person was seen using a two-by-four to smash one of Barnstable's four cameras?the solar-powered unit on Route 28 near Santuit-Newtown Road?before fleeing; police have not announced an arrest.
Hyannis News also covered the recent turmoil in New Bedford, where one council meeting dissolved into chaos over Flock cameras and a follow-up session voted to suspend the system, at least for now. Similar debates have played out in other Massachusetts communities that have paused, canceled, or declined to renew Flock contracts amid concerns about data sharing, retention, accuracy, and potential misuse.
Barnstable's four cameras are now scheduled for removal. Whether the town later adopts a different license-plate-reader system under tighter local control remains an open question for later debate.
The following video contains over an hour of excerpts from Thursday's town meeting where members of the public, town council, and police officials voiced their opinions on the controversial issue of Flock cameras?
[Hyannis News Video ? Press Play]
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| Twice Arrested in 17 Days, Cape Cod Woman Held After Detectives Seize 256 Grams of Fentanyl in Wicker Basket Tuesday September 01, 2026 |
| SOUTH YARMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS ? A Dennis woman released on personal recognizance after a mid-August drug raid is now being held on a dangerousness finding following a second search that turned up hundreds of grams of fentanyl and cocaine in a South Yarmouth home.
Yarmouth Police detectives, working with the DEA, Massachusetts State Police and Dennis police, executed a knock-and-announce search warrant Friday afternoon, Aug. 28, at a Seaview Avenue residence. Before the warrant was served, detectives watched Tara Cooke, 42, of Dennis, conduct a suspected drug transaction, according to police.
Inside the home they found illegal narcotics throughout the residence. K-9 Gauge, a narcotics detection dog, alerted to a large quantity of crack cocaine and fentanyl concealed in a large wicker basket. Officers also recovered packaging and distribution equipment, including a vacuum sealer, vacuum bags, sandwich bags and a digital scale.
Police said they seized approximately 256 grams of fentanyl, 179 grams of cocaine, 32 grams of crack cocaine and five counterfeit Adderall pills made from methamphetamine, along with $2,767 in cash. Cooke told detectives the money was intended to bail her boyfriend out of jail.
Cooke was charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of fentanyl, trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to violate drug laws. Renee Fontaine, 55, of Yarmouth, faces the same trafficking counts plus possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy. Jose Perez, 37, of Lawrence, was charged with conspiracy.
All three were arraigned Monday in Barnstable District Court. Cooke was held on dangerousness, Fontaine on $2,500 bail, and Perez was released.
The Aug. 28 raid came just 17 days after Cooke's first arrest. On Aug. 11, Yarmouth and Dennis detectives executed a search warrant at a Mayfair Road home in Dennis and found about 14.5 grams of crack cocaine, a quantity of fentanyl, a small amount of alprazolam and $147. Cooke was charged then with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession of fentanyl, possession of alprazolam and conspiracy. She was released on personal recognizance. Her significant other, Jasen Adkins, 44, of Sandwich, was held without bail on outstanding warrants plus subsequent-offense and conspiracy charges.
Yarmouth police said the department ?remains committed to proactively addressing drug related activity and protecting the safety of the community.?
HN Reminder: The details contained in the above report are based upon information from police sources. Defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
From an earlier YPD press release:
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| Yarmouth Police detectives seize large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine during search warrants Monday August 31, 2026 |
| YARMOUTH ? From Yarmouth Police: Yarmouth Police Detectives and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a knock and announce search warrant at a South Yarmouth residence Friday afternoon with the assistance of members of the Massachusetts State Police and Dennis Police Department. Prior to executing the search warrant detectives observed Tara Cooke, 42, of [?] |
| Car strikes utility pole overnight knocking out power in Yarmouth Port Sunday August 30, 2026 |
| YARMOUTH ? A car struck a utility pole in Yarmouth about 1:30 AM Sunday. The crash happened on Route 6A by Kings Circuit. The driver appeared to have escaped any serious injuries. Eversource was called to replace the pole. As of 9 AM about 700 customers were still without power. The cause of the crash [?] |
Next Yarmouth Cape News Update at 7:30 AM EST
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