11/18/08 - Text A Tip

Dear Council Members:

In the near future, New Castle County Community Leaders will be receiving the attached letter concerning the Citizen Observer Text Tips Program.  I wanted to provide Council with a program background prior to the distribution of these letters.

The Citizen Observer Text Tips program allows the public to safely and anonymously send text tips from their own cellular telephones, enabling the County Police to reply to the sender’s tip and elicit additional information. 

Gathering tips from concerned citizens has always been a resourceful means to solving crime and preventing future crimes. 

We are asking Council and Community Leaders to share this information with community members, coworkers, friends and family. 

We look forward to generating a greater level of communication with the citizens we serve.

Sincerely,
Colonel Rick S. Gregory,
Chief of Police
New Castle County Police Department

11/12/08 - False Alarm Reduction Program - Status Report

Attached is the current status report and update on the "False-Alarm Reduction Program."

Lieutenant Craig Weldon continues to manage this program, and has done an excellent job keep it moving.  Year to date we have collected  $25,970. 

Should you have questions or need any additional information, please contact us.

Sincerely,
Colonel Rick S. Gregory
Chief
New Castle County Police Department

10/27/08 - Councilman Weiner's Oct. 27 community meeting: Proposed public safety system upgrade and its cost to our community.

Thank you to all of those who attended Monday's meeting as well as those who emailed or called with their support and suggestions. The resolutions to fund the public safety increase were tabled at the Oct 28th council meeting. It is the general consensus to find additional ways to cut costs and try to find the additional money for public safety during our normal budget process next year. Council must approve a budget by the end of May 2009 so there is time over the next few months to evaluate the options and suggest alternatives. Please continue to contact me with your ideas and comments on our county finances.

Related Press Articles:

• "Plan to add patrol officers, investigators too costly in tough economy, officials say" News Journal 10/29/08
• "Bad financial news forces NCCo to shelve public safety plan" Community News 10/29/08
• "NCC scraps plan for more police" News Journal 10/28/08
• "Residents speak out at Councilman Weiner's meeting to consider increasing size of public safety department" Delaforum 10/28/08
• "Councilman Weiner community meeting consensus: expand police force but not with higher taxes; Weiner pledges to explore other options" News Journal 10/28/08
• "Councilman Robert Weiner Invites Community to Meeting on County Safety Plan" News Journal 10/23/08
• "Councilman Weiner is organizing community meeting; $1.7 million, 5-year NCC public safety system upgrade would require 4% tax increase" News Journal 10/13/08
• "Expanded County Police and Emergency Communications Unit to Cost $37.5 Million Over Next 4 Years" Delaforum 10/10/08
• "Property owners will face a two-legged tax increase" Delaforum 10/8/08
• "NCCo looks to add 911 operators" - Community News 10/8/08
• "NCCo wants to beef up police" News Journal 10/6/08
• "NCCo unveils plan to increase police department 35 percent over 5 years" - Community News - 10/1/08
• "County Council asked to provide for more cops" Delaforum 10/1/08

The New Castle County Police Department and Coons Administration have proposed to New Castle County Council that we vote to approve a 5 year phase in of NCC public safety system upgrades which would require tax increases spread out over 5 years. This County Police/emergency communications enlargement plan would cost $3.75 million each year. In response, I have organized a community meeting and invited our county police to foster a discussion and gather feedback from residents. The meeting will take place on Monday October 27 from 6 to 8:30 PM at the Brandywine Hundred Library on Foulk Road. The Council of Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred (CCOBH) and Councilman John Cartier, Brandywine Hundred East have agreed to be co-sponsors.

To allow thoughtful citizens like you to independently determine for yourself if public safety in our county is in real crisis, at my request, information has been posted to http://www.nccde.org/webadmin/home/userfiles/policehome/image/nccpd%20staffing%20analysis%20.pdf on the New Castle County website at www.nccde.org.  

Many of us are fortunate to live in neighborhoods where crime is relatively low. In other areas of the county, the crime rate is much higher. Our county police and our emergency communications unit recently presented New Castle County Council with alarming data supporting the position that we have reached a breaking point where we can no longer “do more with less”.

Upon learning of this proposal, I publicly stated that New Castle County has a duty to reach out to you, our customers, to provide empirically verifiable analysis and data why we should support this tax increase. I have impressed upon both the Coons Administration and our County Public Safety Department that there is an obligation to: (1) present clearly stated information to our citizens and, (2) facilitate a two way dialogue. This is why I have requested and am sponsoring this community meeting, in addition to requesting that relevant information be posted to the county website for public scrutiny.  

I have never voted for a tax increase in my 12 years as your New Castle County Councilman. I will carefully consider community input in determining whether or not I will support this proposal. As your Councilman, I have an obligation to balance public safety concerns with economic realities. It is not an easy decision. I will also seek public input on alternatives, including limiting library and park services in lieu of increasing taxes. I have not made a decision as to how I will vote. Let us all take the time to become fully informed.

The agenda is as follows:  1) Police Staffing, 2) Emergency Communications Staffing

I look forward to seeing you. For additional information contact my aide Lou Hinkle at 302-395-8362.