Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker announced today that 16 awards will be given during the 2018 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) National Conference, including one recipient in the District of Delaware, will receive a Project Safe Neighborhoods Award. These awards recognize individuals and groups for their dedication and contribution to the success of PSN.
In the District of Delaware, the Wilmington Department of Police will be honored with an award.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is making our prosecutions more targeted and more effective—and that makes the American people safer,” said Acting Attorney General Whitaker. “Today the Department recognizes 16 examples of those who go above and beyond the call of duty in using PSN to reduce violent crime. We had a lot of impressive nominees, but even with tough competition, these 16 stood out. I want to thank each one of them for their service and congratulate them on a job well done.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of Chief Tracy, the men, and women of the Wilmington Department of Police and the federal, state and local agencies that have worked to significantly reduce violent crime in Wilmington. Project Safe Neighborhoods is built on partnerships. By working together, sharing information and intelligence we have made our community safer. But our work has just begun. We are determined to build upon and sustain our success moving forward,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss.
“We have spent the past year and half building and rebuilding connections to people and organizations throughout Wilmington based on our police department’s new operating philosophy that only through strong community engagement will the WPD succeed in its mission to prevent and reduce crime,” said Mayor Mike Purzycki. “I can’t express how proud I am of the progress that Chief Tracy and the men and women of the WPD have made in promoting and encouraging community engagement. That their work is appreciated at home and has now been recognized at a national level is much appreciated, and confirms that we are on the right track to creating safer neighborhoods and a stronger City. My thanks to U.S. Attorney Weiss for his continual support and encouragement.”
The Project Safe Neighborhoods Award for Outstanding Local Police/Sheriff Department Involvement went to the Wilmington Department of Police for their efforts in:
The West Center City project is at the heart of Delaware’s PSN efforts. In 2017, the Wilmington Police Department (WPD) began working with local and federal agencies to achieve a common goal: to remove violent actors from the target neighborhood and improve residents’ quality of life. A newly-established patrol unit conducted foot patrols and implemented community policing strategies. Officers worked with city agencies to shut down nuisance properties and provide other services to improve residents quality of life such as collecting garbage and cutting down tree branches. WPD officers worked with federal law enforcement to arrest drug dealers selling openly and to investigate shootings and murders. WPD has also established a “Real Time Crime Center” to support data-driven policing strategies. These efforts have made Wilmington safer for everyone. The WPD has reduced homicides by 33%, shootings by over 70%, burglaries by 31%, and rapes by 100% in the target neighborhood. All of these efforts are contributing to the success of PSN in this community.