Community Policing
The Community Policing Section consists of multiple officers. These officers help to resolve neighborhood/community issues, host and attend various community outreach events, and continually work to build relationships between the police and members of the community. The officers meet on a regular basis with apartment managers, neighborhood watch groups and other civic associations. They give safety talks to senior citizens, special presentations at schools, and educate concerned citizens on how to implement and run an effective Neighborhood Watch Program. These officers also teach the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program to apartment managers in Dover. This course instructs property managers in areas of safety by environmental design, how to screen potential applicants and evict non-compliant tenants.
In addition to these duties, the Community Policing Unit are involved in the following programs and events:
Crime Free Multi-Housing
The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program is a, state-of-the-art, crime prevention program designed to reduce crime, drugs, and gangs on apartment properties. Currently in Dover, we have 60 properties where we attend monthly meetings with each property manager.
Homeowners Association
An HOA is a self-governing organization in common-interest communities where homeowners collectively pay fees to maintain the buildings or surrounding community. HOA’s are typically run by resident homeowners elected to a board of directors that oversee the HOA’s management. Currently in Dover, we have 15 HOA’s where we attend bimonthly meetings on HOA issues and crime reduction strategies.
Neighborhood Watch
National Neighborhood Watch Program has worked to unite the Dover Police Department, private organizations, and individual citizens in a city wide effort to reduce crime and improve local communities. Visible signs of the program are seen throughout street signs, window decals, community block parties and service projects. The Neighborhood Watch program empowers citizens to become active in community efforts through participation in Neighborhood Watch groups. Currently in Dover, we have approximately 15 Neighborhood Watch programs including the HOA’s and we are currently implementing a Neighborhood Watch program in partnership with NCALL and CDHFH for the downtown area.
Police Athletic League
The Dover Police Department Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) was established as a juvenile crime prevention program that uses mentoring, educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between law enforcement and youth. The overall goal of Dover Police P.A.L. is to provide a program for KIDS of the community that is FUN and will INSPIRE youth members to learn and practice the ideals of sportsmanship, scholarship, and physical fitness.
One of the largest events is “A Day In Their Boots” was where local youth learned what it takes to be a First Responder in Delaware and the challenges they face. This annual event is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Dover Police Department, Dover Police Athletic League, Delaware State Fire School, Dover Fire Department, and North Dover Chick-Fil-A. This event had hundreds of youth and parents in attendance.
The Dover PAL also hosted another annual event which was the “Youth Football Combine.” This event was partnered with the Delaware State University and the Delaware State University Police Department and held at the university’s athletic complex. This event allowed youth members to meet and greet NFL football players and standout Delaware High School players with an extreme focus on leadership and physical fitness.
The Dover PAL has continued to be a staple in the community by providing numerous events such as:
YMCA in Healthy Kids Day, CMS Open Gym, Read Across America, Basketball skills clinic, Capital School District 100 year celebration, Open Streets Events with NCALL, Full Speed Event with NASCAR, 21st Century (Capital School District), Story time at the library, Daycare talks about bike safety, Football Combine, Fire School Event, Youth Academy, Convoy of Hope, CopsNRobbers5k, Touch a truck at Dover Library, Lowes cleanup, Dover Bowl event, Amazing Chase Sponsored by the Mayor, Back the blue walk in Camden, Campus Community Event, Holiday Heroes, Wreaths Across America, RMDH Halloween candy delivery, National Night Out.
National Night Out
The Dover Police Department participates in National Night Out which is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood friendship to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
Holiday Heroes
Holiday Heroes is a program that allows children from the Dover area to pair up with a Dover Police Officer to go shopping for Christmas gifts at the Dover Target store. In 2019, the department was able to help approximately 30 children from our area and provide them with a Christmas they likely would not have had.
Coffee with a Cop
The Dover Police Department has participated in Coffee with a Cop which removes the typical barriers that come between officers and Dover residents. It’s as beneficial for residents as it is for officers. Officers begin to see clearly the benefit of police-community collaboration and remember why they decided to be a police officer. The shift in attitudes helps transform the Dover Police Department into a community-oriented policing organization.
The H.O.P.E (Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement) Program
The newly formed H.O.P.E. program works with the homeless. The primary duties of the program are to identify and eliminate all homeless encampments in the City of Dover by trying to place homeless individuals in short or long-term housing. The program is able to offer these services by partnering with a host of agencies like Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing, United Way, Salvation Army, and Delaware Veterans Response Team just to name a few. Officers also volunteer at Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing with assisting in cooking, cleaning and socializing with tenants.
Youth Mentor Program
The mentor program pairs children with a City of Dover police officer from the Capital School District. The officer provides guidance and direction as a friend and mentor instead of just as an authority figure. The goal is to put kids on the right path and make a real difference in the lives of children and their families and help build bridges of long-term trust and confidence. Creative Mentoring, a program of Connecting Generations, is one of the in-school mentoring programs used in the Capital School District.
Downtown Dover Partnership (DDP)
The Dover Police Department has joined with the Downtown Dover Partnership to increase an improved quality of life for the residents and visitors of Dover, through collective collaboration, economic development and promotion of downtown Dover’s unique historic properties. Additionally, with the partnership of DDP, we are able to host our annual “Trick-or-Treat” event that has drawn over 15,000 visitors during the last 3 years.
National Council on Agriculture Life and Labor Research Fund, Inc. (NCALL) and Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity (CDHFH)
The Dover Police Department has partnered with NCALL and CDHFH to strengthen the Dover community through housing, lending, and education as well as to transform lives and revitalize the Dover area by building and repairing quality homes in partnership with families in need. Additionally, the police department has held various community events with both organizations such as builder’s dash 5k, neighborhood clean-ups, Turkey drives, Lights on Dover Strong, back to school events, Open Streets (basketball events) and we are currently in the process of implementing a community police relations forum along with a downtown neighborhood watch program.
School Resource Officers (SRO)
The School Resource Officer (SRO) program is a partnership between the Dover Police Department and the schools in the Dover community. Officers serve in Central Middle School, Dover High School, William Henry, Kent County Intense Learning Center (ILC), Parkway Academy, and surrounding elementary schools. SRO’s regularly teach various classes regarding health and safety issues. In addition to patrolling the school grounds and attending after school functions, such as sports events and student dances, all SRO’s are involved in extracurricular events throughout the year. The events are held in different locations in the city and are focused on positive interaction with children and teenagers. The SRO’s strive to build and maintain a positive rapport with all of the students in the Capital School District and the children that reside in our community. The SRO’s also handle criminal complaints throughout the year involving juvenile related crimes.
Cadet Program
The Cadet Program will assume high visibility patrol throughout the City of Dover which works with the community policing unit. Cadets will assist sworn members of this agency in accomplishing work objectives to include: Conducting foot patrol with the City of Dover limits, issuing Dover City Ordinance citations for violations observed for parking and quality of life issues, administrative duties, assisting with crowd and traffic control at public events (i.e. music events, fireworks displays, parades, and sporting events), assisting with crowd and traffic control at crime scenes, fires, traffic light outages, and other unusual occurrences, cadets may also be used as a resource for support services during emergencies and large scale events in accordance with their scope of authority.
Citizen’s Police Academy
The Citizen Police Academy (CPA) is a program designed to provide members of the Dover community with additional knowledge about their police department. It allows citizens of Dover to become more educated on Dover Police Department procedure and the pressures associated within law enforcement. We seek and invite a diverse group of people who either live in or work in the City of Dover to apply. You do not have to be a Dover citizen to attend. The purpose of the Citizen Police Academy is to accomplish three goals:
- To educate community members in Dover Police Department procedures and the pressures associated within law enforcement
- To allow the citizens of Dover to meet the men and women who serve them
- To provide Dover Police Department officers the opportunity to meet and hear from the citizens they serve.
Youth Academy
This program is for students and is designed to instill discipline, self-confidence, and pride. It also helps familiarize these students with basic police duties and responsibilities.
Other Activities and Initiatives:
- Halloween Safety
- Educational Visits (Schools/Daycares)
- Foot Patrols
- Bicycle Patrols
- Quality of Life Crime Enforcement
- Roy the Therapy Dog
- Special Olympics of Delaware
- Community Response Unit (Vehicle providing a range of social and health services to the community)
- and so much more…
