Police staffing, two-officer pilot and drone use highlighted in New Castle County public safety briefing
July 14, 2026 | New Castle County, Delaware
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Jamie Leonard, chief of police for New Castle County, told the Public Safety Committee on July 14 that the county currently lists 403 sworn officers, with two pending resignations that will reduce that number to about 401 in the coming weeks. "Currently, today, we have 403 sworn officers assigned to the division," Leonard said.
Leonard said an academy slated to start next Monday has 17 recruits (a three-person overhire to compensate for expected attrition) and that several staff retirements are expected in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. The department plans a six-month pilot of two-officer cars beginning around Sept. 15, deploying four two-officer cars per squad to test effectiveness in selected districts.
On diversity, Leonard described the academy class as "very diverse," listing class composition in the meeting: "It has 6 white males, 5 white females, 2 Hispanic males, and 4 black males, which represents an over 50% diversity rate." He said the department is pursuing initiatives to better match the demographic makeup of county residents.
Leonard also updated council on technology and new units: the department will expand a behavioral health unit by one clinician and one officer, is developing a real-time information center (pending grant funding) to be operational in the fall, and will slightly grow the mounted unit for weekend coverage. He described parks-focused weekend units as part of a broader strategy to handle large-scale events and recurring permit-related issues.
On drones, Councilman Street asked about procurement and deployment. Leonard said the first set of drones for first responders has been delivered and most pods placed; current staffing is about 12'14 hours daily at deployed sites and the county plans 24/7 staffing when the center opens in the fall. Leonard gave use examples: a drone helped identify that a motor vehicle crash required more ambulances, and in one case a drone helped locate a woman who was having a diabetic episode before officers arrived.
Councilman Koneko introduced several ordinances and grant items during the meeting: Ordinance 26-082 would appropriate $270,000 in EMPG federal funding to support Office of Emergency Management operations; Ordinance 26-083 would appropriate funds to the paramedic duty revolving fund administered by the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Medical Services (the transcript lists an appropriation figure transcribed as "$107,204,121"; details require verification); and Ordinance 26-087 would appropriate a $26,000 motorist and pedestrian safety grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (passed through the state) to support overtime in the Division of Police.
There was no public comment recorded in the transcript. A motion to adjourn carried by voice vote at the end of the meeting.
Leonard said an academy slated to start next Monday has 17 recruits (a three-person overhire to compensate for expected attrition) and that several staff retirements are expected in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. The department plans a six-month pilot of two-officer cars beginning around Sept. 15, deploying four two-officer cars per squad to test effectiveness in selected districts.
On diversity, Leonard described the academy class as "very diverse," listing class composition in the meeting: "It has 6 white males, 5 white females, 2 Hispanic males, and 4 black males, which represents an over 50% diversity rate." He said the department is pursuing initiatives to better match the demographic makeup of county residents.
Leonard also updated council on technology and new units: the department will expand a behavioral health unit by one clinician and one officer, is developing a real-time information center (pending grant funding) to be operational in the fall, and will slightly grow the mounted unit for weekend coverage. He described parks-focused weekend units as part of a broader strategy to handle large-scale events and recurring permit-related issues.
On drones, Councilman Street asked about procurement and deployment. Leonard said the first set of drones for first responders has been delivered and most pods placed; current staffing is about 12'14 hours daily at deployed sites and the county plans 24/7 staffing when the center opens in the fall. Leonard gave use examples: a drone helped identify that a motor vehicle crash required more ambulances, and in one case a drone helped locate a woman who was having a diabetic episode before officers arrived.
Councilman Koneko introduced several ordinances and grant items during the meeting: Ordinance 26-082 would appropriate $270,000 in EMPG federal funding to support Office of Emergency Management operations; Ordinance 26-083 would appropriate funds to the paramedic duty revolving fund administered by the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Medical Services (the transcript lists an appropriation figure transcribed as "$107,204,121"; details require verification); and Ordinance 26-087 would appropriate a $26,000 motorist and pedestrian safety grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (passed through the state) to support overtime in the Division of Police.
There was no public comment recorded in the transcript. A motion to adjourn carried by voice vote at the end of the meeting.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
