DOVER, DE— Handheld metal wands and increased police presence may soon be coming to Dover's biweekly City Council and Committee of the Whole meetings. The newly formed Security Ad-Hoc Committee, created after safety concerns were raised, recommended the measures following its first meeting.
The committee proposes having one Dover police officer equipped with a handheld metal wand detector at each meeting. The plan is set to be presented to the full council by the end of September.
While Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson is present at the meetings, Councilwoman Donyale Hall says having another officer focused solely on monitoring the room is necessary.
"Having an additional support officer inside the room will certainly help, keep control of the environment in the room and have another set of eyes."
Hall says the handheld wand proposal is a good first step as the committee continues to explore longer-term solutions, including the possibility of a permanent metal detector.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a firearm. It could be a blade, it could be a number of different things. And those things are definitely detectable at least by a handheld wand."
City leaders estimate the measure would cost about $11,000 annually, funded through discretionary city funds. Attendance by law enforcement would be considered overtime and classified as an extra-duty assignment, covering both City Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.
Hall says the cost is minimal compared with the potential benefits.
"For those who are saying this is an unnecessary expense, to me, the unnecessary expense is the cost of a life."
However, longtime Dover resident William Faust says he supports safety but questions whether handheld wands are the most effective approach, urging the city to consider all potential options.
"A wand is a tool, but it's like any tool; it can malfunction. It may not pick up things — Let's be practical. Let's not waste money."
Faust, who has attended council meetings for 25 years, emphasizes that City Hall should remain a welcoming place for sharing ideas and cautions against creating a climate of fear.
"I don't want to be like a police state where people are afraid to come to City Hall. It's a people's house."
After a summer of highly attended meetings where residents raised concerns about gun violence and crime, Councilman-at-Large André Boggerty says he has never felt unsafe during public sessions.
"Because conversations are robust, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be violent."
Boggerty adds that while he doesn’t see a need for permanent security measures, exploring temporary solutions could be reasonable since this discussion was brought up.
"I don't feel it should be long-term unless there's a reason for it to be long-term. Right now, I don't think there's a reason for it to be long-term."
The Security Ad-Hoc Committee plans to present the handheld metal wand proposal to the City Council this month.
Another potential measure—installing security cameras at City Hall—was added to the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee's agenda for the Oct. 21 Council Committee of the Whole meeting.
Committee members say they are weighing options carefully, aiming to improve safety for council members and neighbors attending meetings while maintaining an open and welcoming environment.