The New Castle County Division of Police released the following statement regarding a former officer:
On July 14, 2022, Michael Carnevale, a former officer with the New Castle County Division of Police pled guilty to one count of offensive touching in relation to a use of force incident that occurred while he was on duty. The incident, which occurred on August 30, 2021, took place within the cell block area of Police Headquarters and involved a sixteen-year-old female. The incident was reported to supervision by other police officers and was recorded on internal video surveillance. Mr. Carnevale was immediately placed on administrative leave when the incident was reported, and simultaneous investigations were conducted by the Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit, the Department of Justice, and the Division of Police Professional Standards Unit.
The video evidence was not previously released by the Division due to the pending criminal investigation. However, due to the matter now being adjudicated by the Superior Court, the Division of Police is releasing footage of the encounter between the juvenile victim and Mr. Carnevale.
Mr. Carnevale retired in October 2021 while under investigation and prior to his indictment. Mr. Carnevale has been decertified by the Council on Police Training and as part of the plea agreement, he has agreed to never seek employment or serve in a law enforcement capacity in the future.
Colonel Joseph Bloch, Chief of the New Castle County Division of Police issued the following statement:
“The actions of Mr. Carnevale seen in the video are not within the policies and procedures of the New Castle County Police and do not reflect the values and standards of the Division. Although I am disgusted that this incident took place, I am pleased that through the hard work of the Department of Justice – Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust and our internal investigators, Mr. Carnevale was held accountable for his actions and will never serve in law enforcement again. The New Castle County Division of Police prides itself on the relationships we have built within the communities we serve. I am hopeful that our immediate response to this incident demonstrates our commitment to holding ourselves accountable and builds upon the public trust that we have established over many years of dedicated service.”