New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry approved plans and partnerships to bolster the county’s public safety efforts at a press conference in New Castle Wednesday.
The County is now officially partnered with the Delaware chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
The NOBLE partnership will kick off one-on-one mentoring for officers and aims to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community, according to NOBLE’s Delaware chapter president Gregory Earle, who is also a lieutenant.
“It's our job when we get to these spots that you pave the way, and you reach back and you want somebody to take your spot,” Earle said. “So you give them the motivation to get there.”
Earle added people of color deserve a seat at the table in law enforcement.
“It helps those who are there who may not know what the effect of seeing no cops that look like you are in a neighborhood. So you have to do those things,” Earle said.
Henry also received a three-year strategic plan from the county’s EMS coordinator that is FEMA-compliant and encourages collaboration between departments.
Henry said his goal overall is to improve recruitment and retention in public safety and enhance communication systems to better serve residents.
“I'm excited with the great synergy I saw with the room today, and I'm excited about the future, what it brings with these collaborations, from that partnership,” Henry said. “Well, honestly, I'm particularly interested in cultivating a mentorship with our existing officers. Obviously, I want to see more diversity as we continue on, diversity and opportunities for our officers, but also training.”
The county is also set to begin quarterly county-wide town halls to hear from and inform constituents.
“It's critically important to engage the public early on in the new things we're doing, the existing things we're doing,” Henry said. “But we need to hear back from the public consistently in terms of what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong, and they have these various avenues for them to talk to us. We don't operate in silos.”
Henry said he anticipates positive feedback alongside suggestions for increased patrols.
