11/13/2012 - Report on Department of Public Safety’s goals accomplished to date.

Citizen Observer Flier (Text a Tip Program)

Download the NCCPD Smartphone App on Google

The New Castle County Police want you to become part of our community alert network! 

The Division of Police has expanded on our “Text a Tip” program that enables the public to send anonymous crime tips to the County Police.  This same program will now allow the police to send alerts to you by e-mail and text message.   By signing up for this free program, you will receive information on your phone, computer or both about important issues impacting your community. 

This new alert network is supported by our members of County Council and County Executive Paul G. Clark.  Executive Clark states, “I applaud our police department for their proactive approach to preventing and reducing crime and their commitment  to engaging with the citizens they serve.   Our officers need to use every available tool to keep residents safe and informed. This Alert Network does both, through communications technology that is popular and easy to use.”

Just visit our website, www.nccpd.com, and click on the “Tips/Alerts” section to sign up.  The site is secure, allows you to remain anonymous and is customizable so you only receive alerts based on where you live.  Standard text messaging rates apply.

Remember — web and text tips are not a substitute for 911.  If you are reporting an incident that requires a police response, CALL 911.

Please forward this to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to sign up for this valuable program.  There are several alerts already in the system, so sign up today and receive these important alerts from your police department. View the flyer as a PDF file.

6/10/10 - Project Lifesaver

Project Lifesaver helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, Autism, Down Syndrome, dementia and other related disorders. A preprogrammed personal radio transmitter is placed on an individual who may wander away from the safety of their homes. These transmitters, unobtrusive for the client to wear, have the ability to assist emergency agencies in locating those who may have become unable to help themselves. This program has saved the lives of many who otherwise may have succumbed to the elements while lost. New Castle County Police Department - Community Services Unit - (302) 395-8050

3/17/09 - Code Enforcement Instant Ticket PowerPoint-Procedure & Stats per Council District

Attached is a copy of the Instant Ticket PowerPoint presented to Council on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

Regards,
Al Washington
Assistant Land Use Administrator

3/13/09 - The New Castle County Police Mounted Patrol is working for you!

The New Castle County Police Mounted Unit is a fully operational unit, which deploys its officer and horse teams into communities year round. The unit responds to neighborhoods, which are experiencing problems with crime ranging from traffic violations to felony drug activity, shootings and murders. When the officer and horse teams are sent to a particular neighborhood, they remain there for their entire shift in contrast to the 911 driven officers in police cars who only have enough time to respond to and handle a complaint and then must leave the area for another incident. As a result, all crime ceases while the Mounted Unit is present in the communities they are policing.

The horses are natural liaisons between the police and the community. People are drawn to them and conversations between the police and the community are initiated. To put it simply, no one has ever come up to our officers and asked if they can pet the police car. The intimidation factor diminishes when officers are sitting on horses and an amazing dynamic occurs when members of a community walk up to visit with the horses. The horses open the door of communication in a manner that is much more effective than an officer on bicycle or walking patrol.

While this interaction with community members is priceless, it is not the overriding value of this unit. The members of this unit are some of the most effective officers in the entire division because they are not 911 driven and can devote all of their time to proactive law enforcement.

The County Police have identified the following cost saving measures for offsetting the Mounted Unit budget.

1. Shared costs with local jurisdictions (Wilmington and the University of Delaware). These are in progress and could be in the form of officers as well as shared costs.
2. The County Police has identified local vendors willing to house the unit (mounts and equipment) thus reducing the overall costs.
3. There are many in our community who wish to donate money and time in support of the unit. We are finalizing the necessary mechanisms to ensure a proper acceptance and distribution for any future donations.

Many of our citizenry view the Mounted Unit as a ceremonial function, which only performs at various parades and community events; I assure you this is not the case. This group of officers is used in some of our busiest communities and their versatility allows them a unique law enforcement approach suitable for work in a variety of situations. I trust this information has been helpful. We would invite you to visit our unit to learn more about the proactive policing they do and how we are capitalizing on this versatile unit to impact crime and quality of life. Please call if you are interested.

Thank you

Senior Lieutenant Michael McGowan
Staff Executive Officer
New Castle County Police
Office: 395-8015
Fax: 395-8039

2/18/09 - Why County Police Take Home Their Police Cars & Why This Is Fiscally Prudent

To all,

As per your request from the Council Meeting on February 17, 2009 you will find the attached document.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak with all of you and let me know if you have any additional questions.

Very respectfully,
Captain Elmer M. Setting
Special Operations Commander
(302) 395-8027

11/18/08 - Text A Tip

Dear Council Members:

In the near future, New Castle County Community Leaders will be receiving the attached letter concerning the Citizen Observer Text Tips Program.  I wanted to provide Council with a program background prior to the distribution of these letters.

The Citizen Observer Text Tips program allows the public to safely and anonymously send text tips from their own cellular telephones, enabling the County Police to reply to the sender’s tip and elicit additional information. 

Gathering tips from concerned citizens has always been a resourceful means to solving crime and preventing future crimes. 

We are asking Council and Community Leaders to share this information with community members, coworkers, friends and family. 

We look forward to generating a greater level of communication with the citizens we serve.

Sincerely,
Colonel Rick S. Gregory,
Chief of Police
New Castle County Police Department

11/12/08 - False Alarm Reduction Program - Status Report

Attached is the current status report and update on the "False-Alarm Reduction Program."

Lieutenant Craig Weldon continues to manage this program, and has done an excellent job keep it moving.  Year to date we have collected  $25,970. 

Should you have questions or need any additional information, please contact us.

Sincerely,
Colonel Rick S. Gregory
Chief
New Castle County Police Department

10/27/08 - Councilman Weiner's Oct. 27 community meeting: Proposed public safety system upgrade and its cost to our community.

Thank you to all of those who attended Monday's meeting as well as those who emailed or called with their support and suggestions. The resolutions to fund the public safety increase were tabled at the Oct 28th council meeting. It is the general consensus to find additional ways to cut costs and try to find the additional money for public safety during our normal budget process next year. Council must approve a budget by the end of May 2009 so there is time over the next few months to evaluate the options and suggest alternatives. Please continue to contact me with your ideas and comments on our county finances.

Related Press Articles:

• "Plan to add patrol officers, investigators too costly in tough economy, officials say" News Journal 10/29/08
• "Bad financial news forces NCCo to shelve public safety plan" Community News 10/29/08
• "NCC scraps plan for more police" News Journal 10/28/08
• "Residents speak out at Councilman Weiner's meeting to consider increasing size of public safety department" Delaforum 10/28/08
• "Councilman Weiner community meeting consensus: expand police force but not with higher taxes; Weiner pledges to explore other options" News Journal 10/28/08
• "Councilman Robert Weiner Invites Community to Meeting on County Safety Plan" News Journal 10/23/08
• "Councilman Weiner is organizing community meeting; $1.7 million, 5-year NCC public safety system upgrade would require 4% tax increase" News Journal 10/13/08
• "Expanded County Police and Emergency Communications Unit to Cost $37.5 Million Over Next 4 Years" Delaforum 10/10/08
• "Property owners will face a two-legged tax increase" Delaforum 10/8/08
• "NCCo looks to add 911 operators" - Community News 10/8/08
• "NCCo wants to beef up police" News Journal 10/6/08
• "NCCo unveils plan to increase police department 35 percent over 5 years" - Community News - 10/1/08
• "County Council asked to provide for more cops" Delaforum 10/1/08

The New Castle County Police Department and Coons Administration have proposed to New Castle County Council that we vote to approve a 5 year phase in of NCC public safety system upgrades which would require tax increases spread out over 5 years. This County Police/emergency communications enlargement plan would cost $3.75 million each year. In response, I have organized a community meeting and invited our county police to foster a discussion and gather feedback from residents. The meeting will take place on Monday October 27 from 6 to 8:30 PM at the Brandywine Hundred Library on Foulk Road. The Council of Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred (CCOBH) and Councilman John Cartier, Brandywine Hundred East have agreed to be co-sponsors.

To allow thoughtful citizens like you to independently determine for yourself if public safety in our county is in real crisis, at my request, information has been posted to http://www.nccde.org/webadmin/home/userfiles/policehome/image/nccpd%20staffing%20analysis%20.pdf on the New Castle County website at www.nccde.org.  

Many of us are fortunate to live in neighborhoods where crime is relatively low. In other areas of the county, the crime rate is much higher. Our county police and our emergency communications unit recently presented New Castle County Council with alarming data supporting the position that we have reached a breaking point where we can no longer “do more with less”.

Upon learning of this proposal, I publicly stated that New Castle County has a duty to reach out to you, our customers, to provide empirically verifiable analysis and data why we should support this tax increase. I have impressed upon both the Coons Administration and our County Public Safety Department that there is an obligation to: (1) present clearly stated information to our citizens and, (2) facilitate a two way dialogue. This is why I have requested and am sponsoring this community meeting, in addition to requesting that relevant information be posted to the county website for public scrutiny.  

I have never voted for a tax increase in my 12 years as your New Castle County Councilman. I will carefully consider community input in determining whether or not I will support this proposal. As your Councilman, I have an obligation to balance public safety concerns with economic realities. It is not an easy decision. I will also seek public input on alternatives, including limiting library and park services in lieu of increasing taxes. I have not made a decision as to how I will vote. Let us all take the time to become fully informed.

The agenda is as follows:  1) Police Staffing, 2) Emergency Communications Staffing

I look forward to seeing you. For additional information contact my aide Lou Hinkle at 302-395-8362.

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