GREENWOOD, Del. — Public safety issues continue to plague the town of Greenwood, where the local police force has operated with just one officer for nearly three months.
Town officials recently held a special meeting on November 26 to discuss hiring a new police chief, but over a week later, no significant changes have been made.
During the meeting, prospective police chief David Walton spoke with town leaders about his concerns regarding staffing. However, local residents, such as Kevin Whaley, feel the situation is not improving quickly enough.
"I wish to see more officers in this town, so when we lay our heads down at night time, we can feel safe," Whaley said. "I don't know what needs to be done differently, but it needs to be taken care of."
Walton, who is expected to take on the role, expressed his own concerns about future staffing challenges. "I know we have some vacant positions within the Town of Greenwood that are still open. I want to make sure those positions are still cleared through the budget to be filled and that I wouldn't be walking through the door as the solo, the only horse in one horse town," Walton said.
Despite the concerns, town officials assured that the positions remain funded and are still scheduled to be filled.
Gary Cleveland, a local resident and former military policeman, understands Walton’s worries. "I was a policeman in the military and we always had backup, lots of it. It’s insane for him to respond to calls by himself," Cleveland said.
Whaley, too, is worried about the future of the town if the hiring process is not expedited. "You get outsiders from our town coming to this one, 'Ooo we've got a lot of houses we can hit in Greenwood cause there's only one officer there cause the word gets spread,'" he said.
The Greenwood Town Council has not commented on the matter but has indicated that the hiring of a new officer will be discussed at the next council meeting, scheduled for December 11.