FENWICK ISLAND – Police with the Town of Fenwick Island have doubled their efforts in assisting state troopers since last year.
In a meeting of the Town Council last month, Fenwick Island Police Chief William Boyden relayed notable statistics from his monthly police report, which revealed a growing demand for local police assistance.
He said during the month of February, Fenwick Island police spent a total of 10 hours assisting Delaware State Police, nearly twice as much as the February prior.
“Unfortunately this is going to be the trend,” he said. “I’ve been talking to some of the managers in the state and everybody is reading what the budget is.”
Boyden explained that leaner budgets and a statewide hiring freeze are leading state troopers to call on local law enforcement for assistance.
“I just had a state trooper utilize our station to process an arrest that they had in Selbyville because Selbyville couldn’t let them in their station because they had too many people being processed as it is,” Boyden said. “These troopers are being pushed to the limit.”
Boyden explained Fenwick police were actively covering or stabilizing calls when troopers assigned to the area were not in the vicinity.
“Sometimes you’ll have a disorderly subject or a domestic in progress outside the town limits and the trooper is all the way in Millsboro and it’s going to take him, even with lights and sirens, 20 to 25 minutes to get down here,” he said. “So we’ll get there and try and neutralize the situation.”
Councilwoman Vicki Carmean expressed concerns over the amount of troopers that patrol Sussex County.
“My question has always been how come there are only four or five. We should have our share of state troopers spread out throughout the state,” she said.
Boyden explained county money was used by state police to answer calls along county roads and developments, but added that more state troopers cannot be hired unless a law is changed in the state legislature. He said state troopers that are currently on the force are now being assigned from road patrol to specialized patrols, such as technology and financial crimes and the ever-growing narcotics unit.
When asked about grant money listed in the budget, he explained that most of the money was already spent on overtime pay, patrol cars and specialized equipment for mandatory active shooter training.
“Times have changed,” Boyden said. “Thirty-nine years ago all you worried about was your wooden night stick and your cup of coffee.”
