DOVER, Del. — Community policing efforts in Dover will be getting bolstered next year with five new officers approved for city law enforcement.
Dover City Council this week gave final approval on participating in a federal grant program to pay for the additional officers.
Dover Police Chief Tom Johnson said the additional officers will help deal with the changing face of law enforcement at a time when there is a national conversation on policing.
“We want to make sure that our folks here in Dover and in the surrounding area see that we’re serious about engagement, about relationships,” he said.
Dover’s community policing unit has taken a hit in recent years due to staffing constraints. The city police department currently has 89 officers on staff who are on active duty, with another 11 officers in a police academy or about to participate in one.
The department has an overall authorized strength of 101 officers, though that number will increase to 106 with the additional community policing officers.
Johnson said stakeholders like city leaders and community members will be consulted on how the additional officers will be deployed.
“We’re all going to work together to figure out the best location for this additional strength,” he said.