The City of Dover installed more lighting near Barrister Place following a shooting last month.
Dover’s Electric Department replaced the lights in the Barrister Place and Dover East Estates neighborhoods with LEDs to brighten the area. That was completed Thursday morning. It also installed a temporary light fixture in an adjacent field Wednesday with cameras to come by July 23.
A 2019 study in New York City found that communities with more street lights experienced fewer crimes.
The field’s property owners rejected the city’s offer to put in a permanent fixture. Dover’s electric director Paul Weddell said his team was able to install a temporary fixture without the go-ahead from property owners.
“Monday night when it came up was too late for us to do anything,” Weddell said. “Tuesday, we started trying to figure out what we could do and create some backup plans, and by Tuesday afternoon, we had pretty much figured out what needed to be done and made it happen.”
Dover City Council member Roy Sudler supported putting more safety measures in place for community members. He said this should have happened sooner.
“I believe that is a high priority, just dealing with the safety of the community and individuals who have pretty much have been targeted after this homicide, the family to be targeted for additional violence or possible gun violence,” Sudler said. “So, I think it's a high priority that we give them some illumination.”
Sudler said he wants to see that on top of increased police presence. He added he and the mayor are working together to secure housing vouchers for the victim’s family to move out of Barrister Place and start healing.
Divided We Fall of Delaware founder Chelle Paul was one Dover resident asking for lights and cameras to be installed in the area, which already has a fence put in.
“And it used to be private fencing,” Paul said. “The residents were responsible for keeping it up… It's a high crime area, so let's be realistic. You want to be able to see what's going on in the area itself.”
Sudler added that there is also discussion amongst community members about increasing the size of the six-foot fence to eight feet.
Weddell said he has no plans of taking the field light down for now, though there may be modifications made in the future.
“We're doing everything that we can to bring some type of urgent relief to that community. At the same time, [we’re] trying to develop a paradigm, a crime prevention and anti-illegal gang prevention paradigm that's going to help,” Sudler said.
Dover City Council accepts public comments at its Council meetings. Its next meeting is set for Monday, July 28.
