Why Should Delaware Care?
Crime in Wilmington has been front of mind for many residents for years, even as it has dropped since the COVID pandemic. After a recent spike this summer, city officials say their existing strategies will continue while a new office will aim to connect residents to existing resources.
Weeks after a late-summer spike in violence, many Wilmington residents are saying they want to see more services for youth and more beat cops building relationships in their neighborhoods.
At a public meeting and in interviews with Spotlight Delaware, many also raised concerns about police transparency and called for a stronger focus on serious crime in the wake of the violence.
In response, Mayor John Carney and the Wilmington police officials have said they will maintain their existing strategies toward public safety.
“We have a great city. We have some troubled neighborhoods, and we have some groups and gangs that have been fighting back and forth. We had stemmed that tide a little bit, and I think compared to what it used to be, we’re in better shape,” Carney said during a late September community meeting.
Carney has also pointed to the city’s newly established Office of Community Safety, which connects residents with existing city resources.
Carney announced the creation of the office in February as the city sought to build on reductions in crime seen in 2025 when Wilmington recorded its lowest number of shootings and victims in 20 years. Police data also shows shootings in Delaware’s largest city dropping by 50 percent over the past six years.
But Carney’s remarks also followed a tragic series of recent shootings. According to police statistics, 14 people were victims of shootings in Wilmington between Sept. 6 and Oct. 4 — a 75% increase compared with the same time last year. Those 14 people were shot in nine separate incidents.
A broader analysis of Wilmington crime alert data from the website Nixle shows that 18 shootings occurred during the final two months of the summer. A total of 27 people were hit by the gunfire, and three died.
Many in the city are frustrated by the recent violence and the city’s response to it.
At the September community meeting, organized by the Office of Community Safety, residents pressed public officials for answers. They said the city hadn’t been transparent about its response, and expressed concerns about police conduct, and community’s trust of officers.
Among those who spoke was Durrell Dollard, the father of Kadir Skinner who was fatally shot in June by police as he was running away. Dollard asserted there was a lack of information surrounding his son’s case.
“You know how I sleep? I don’t. I don’t sleep. Do you know why? There’s no transparency. Maybe if I had motherfucking transparency, then I’ll be OK,” Dollard said at the meeting.
When asked by reporters at the meeting about the recent spike in violence, Chief Wilfredo Campos said his department typically sees increases in September with the start of the school year.
“Some of the things we’re seeing is that that’s when the kids come back to school. They’ve been off the whole summer. They come back in September. They run into each other, and then they start those feuds up again,” Campos said.
Since the meeting, shootings have persisted in the city. Four occurred during the first two weeks in October, injuring five people and killing one teen. The fatal shooting occurred during an Oct. 1 incident where three people were shot in total.
Residents respond to Wilmington’s state of public safety
On Wednesday, Spotlight Delaware interviewed 10 city residents about the current state of public safety within Wilmington. All said that they feel crime has grown worse in the city.
“As far as the violence, I’m scared to come out at night. I’m 63, so I go in, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm,” said one Eastside resident, who only provided his first name as Dave.
Three residents said they believe police are not devoting enough attention to serious violent crimes. Others said officers should spend more time on foot patrol in the communities they serve to better understand residents’ concerns and needs.
Several residents also expressed concern about the impact of gun violence on young people, calling for more programming and activities for adolescents in the city.
“What else can these kids do but be in the streets cause they think it’s cool,” said one longtime resident of Wilmington’s northside.
When asked about the city’s newly established Office of Community Safety, residents expressed mixed reactions. While some said it could be a starting point for improving public safety, they stressed a need for greater outreach to ensure residents know what services are available.
“There should be signs and different things at storefronts. Wherever you walk, there should be a list of things where, if you need help, you can get it,” said one westside resident, who identified herself as Tina M.
Others questioned whether the office was necessary, arguing that residents can already access information about city services through existing channels.
“I can pick up 311 and get information on where to get a service,” said Pilar Seau, a longtime Wilmington resident.
Wilmington police’s current strategies
Wilmington Police spokesman David Karas told Spotlight that Wilmington police rely on a range of existing strategies to combat violent crime, including community outreach, social services and targeted enforcement.
During any shooting incident, additional officers are also deployed to affected areas and officers work with partners outside the department to determine whether the incident involved known groups and the steps that can be taken to prevent further violence, he said.
Officers are also assigned to the same neighborhoods each shift, attend community meetings in their assigned areas and work alongside the Community Engagement Unit, which assigns an officer to each of the city’s nine patrol districts.
Karas also highlighted Wilmington’s ongoing officer training in de-escalation, procedural justice, implicit bias and cultural diversity, among other topics.
Several of Wilmington’s strategies also target gun violence, and include working with state and federal prosecutors to review every gun arrest and offender and assess whether state or federal charges could carry harsher penalties. They also work with state agencies to review ballistic evidence to identify groups and individuals believed to be driving violence in the city, Karas said.
“We have seen the results of this strategy, notably in the focus on holding gun offenders accountable at every stage of the criminal justice system,” Karas said.
The police department is also seeking additional funding to support its crime reduction. Wilmington City Council is expected to discuss four state grant applications this Thursday totaling more than $575,000.
The grants would help cover overtime for specialized drug investigations and violent crime reduction efforts, as well as advanced officer training and new police equipment.
Office of Community Safety aims to connect agencies, residents
While Wilmington police double down on existing crime prevention strategies, the city’s new Office of Community Safety is intended to address public safety through a broader approach, connecting residents with services and coordinating efforts across agencies and community organizations.
John Cook, the city’s director of community safety, said his office won’t run its own programs or take over the work of other departments. Instead, it will act as a hub, linking residents with police, and other organizations.
“We’re not replacing the statutory or operational responsibilities of other agencies,” Cook said. “Instead, we’re strengthening the coordination amongst these entities.”
Cook has an extensive background in social work. He previously served as executive director of Delaware’s Group Violence Intervention initiative and served with Delaware’s Division of Social Services before that.
He said residents can reach him through the mayor’s office for anything from youth programs to utility shutoffs to nuisance properties, and he’ll direct them to the right agency.
Asked about the recent rise in shootings, Cook said that while overall crime is trending down, “one shooting is way too many.”
He pointed to poverty, mental health and group violence as drivers, and said gangs prey on vulnerable young people from struggling homes. Cook said his next focus is reaching families directly, so parents who see their children struggling with peer pressure or behavioral issues can contact his office and be connected with outreach workers.
Despite residents’ calls for more youth services, he said the city doesn’t lack programs, gyms or social workers.
“You know the thing that is missing: love, reciprocity, peace, joy, just the understanding of what they are experiencing,” Cook said.
Following a shooting, Cook’s job is to review the area and determine if there are environmental, situational, or other factors that could have contributed to the incident. His job is to then send in the appropriate resources, which can include things like social service outreach walks, boarding up vacant homes or adding street lighting.
Community meeting highlights frustrations
Cook made his first public introduction to the community during the September public meeting where residents pressed public officials for answers to the recent violence.
Held at William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center, the meeting featured a panel of city officials, whose goal was to inform the more than 100 people in attendance about the city’s response to recent violence, and to hear community concerns.
Officials opened by talking mostly in general terms about their existing efforts, which included concentrating police in different neighborhoods, providing social services to victims of crime and youth resources.
Some residents said it wasn’t enough, and even said that some police officers did not treat members of the community professionally.
“When Wilmington police come out, they do not give us the respect that we are due. They come out angry,” one resident, Jerri Cherry, said.
Early in the meeting, as the Wilmington police chief addressed the crowd, Dollard — Skinner’s father — walked into the gym and took a seat near the front of the auditorium.
He began interrupting Campos’ speech, telling officials he’s been trying to reach city about his son’s case, but no one has come to his door to speak with him
“It’s been 92 days,” he shouted.
Dollard’s frustrations drew the attention of the room, as many were aware his son had been shot and killed by police earlier this June.
Two city officials then approached Dollard and spoke to him in words that could not be heard by the crowd. In response, Dollard continued to express frustrations about what he said was the city’s lack of transparency and communication with his family.
He also said his son’s killing caused his health to deteriorate.
“I’ve lost 30 pounds,” he said. “I’m not healthy.”
Eventually Cook took the microphone. He acknowledged Dollard, and described him as a “father that is hurting.” He drew on his own experience working with people affected by violence and apologized to Dollard.
“I want to say to you, from the bottom of my spirit, that I’m sorry,” Cook said.
He then walked over to Dollard and embraced him.
“This is real. This is what I wanted, a little closure,” Dollard said.
Wilmington officials noted that more community meetings would be held to continue dialogue with residents.
Caroline Klinger, spokeswoman for the mayor, noted that while a date has not been set for another meeting, residents can expect announcements about future events through the city’s social media channels and via email.
