Mission

DELAWARE STATE POLICE TROOP 7

CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

April 24^th, 2008



Attendees: Glen Everett, George Lari, Stephen Simmons, Margaret Reyes, Capt. Ron Hagan, Janet Maull, Arthur Sutton, Trish Arnett, Glen Urquhart. A quorum having been met.

Excused: Wanda Davis, Nic Miro and Linda Bosco

Location: Lewes Fire Hall, Savannah Rd, Lewes DE

Motion to Approve Agenda:

            Motion Made: George Lari, as restated for a change of items in sequence

            Seconded: Everett Beach

            Voting: unanimous

No Minutes to approve from December meeting – a social event

Correspondence:

Zaida Guajardo resigned in December, and her resignation was accepted

Introduction to new troop commander:

            Captain Ron Hagan, newly appointed to Troop 7 command. – He’s from the area spent 14 of his 23 years in the Delaware State Police in the area. His father is a retired trooper now appointed as a magistrate.

Updates from Troop 7:



            Below are some areas of focus……..

            -to continue working with the community, with a redoubled effort

            -working with various different organizations

            -new recruits coming to Troop 7

- How to do more with less

-no other large changes

-continue high level of service

QUESTIONS:

George Lari asked if the 2 Lt. were staying on – the response was in the affirmative

Also if there was a Ready Reserve in the area – the response was negative

New Business:

Steve Simmons – the need to recruit from a pool of applicants that are representative of troop sectors namely Ocean View, Long Neck. These are communities that need representation on the council – we are strong on representation in the Lewes/ Rehoboth areas.

We also need people from the Lincoln, Ellendale and Milton areas

The council in working with the Troop would like some measurable goals to show some of the accomplishments.

Steve Simmons spoke to what we as a council can do now that the work of organizing the council and having by-laws (a framework) from which to work.

Not what we can physically do but bring to the table as far as an advisory group.

One major issue is the state budget shortfalls – and how we can plan to fill this gap from a policy level – bringing other resource to the table that both the Troop and the community can benefit from.

Capt. Hagan is looking at good concepts – and making those concepts reality. We are not just about meetings on a monthly basis – but a “think tank’ with resources in the community. As well as it is not just about voicing concerns, but finding workable solutions to those concerns, as finding funding sources to implement those ideas.

. A discussion was made regarding the potential of Funding for the cadet program, we need to look at options for this. One option is using “SEGWAYS” to increase presence. Although initially this may be an outlay of funding the ability to move more rapidly from place to place is actually a force multiplier and in the long run may be cost-effective.

Understanding that cadets have a limited scope of what they can do – and that scope is very clearly defined by legislation

Also for the cadets to be “ambassadors” to various communities to provide a uniformed presence.

Looking for ideas to improve community relations above and beyond physical presence and “work projects” How would VIP (Volunteers in Policing) assist this initiative in the communities – do we want to institute it??

Info on VIP can be found online at http://www.policevolunteers.org/



UNFINISHED BUSINESS;

COMMITTEES:

Steve suggested that we roll all the committees under the umbrella of just 2 separate committees. They will be:

1) Police Functioning – encompassing Cadets, Explorers, assisting the troop with funding ideas and areas of concern

2) Communications: - Community liaisons and community outreach

The committee members by volunteer* are as follows to date:

Police Functioning Members:

            Arthur Sutton

            George Lari

*Nic Miro

*Wanda Davis

*due to alignment numbers Wanda and Nic will be asked to serve on this committee.

Communication Members:



            Everett Beach

            Janet Maull

            Glen Urquhart

            Trish Arnett

As before, officers of the council do not sit on committees but may assist or attend any committee meeting.

The Troopers assigned liaise to the committees are as follows:

Det. Mark Ostroski – Communications

Cpl. Nicole Oldham – Police Functioning

MEETINGS & RECRUITMENT:

In order to facilitate committee meeting and committee work, the general council will meet every other month at a fixed location – currently at the Lewes Fire Hall on Savannah Rd in Lewes.

This allows for easier compliance with FOIA and absolute transparency to have standing meeting in a fixed locale – it also allows for communities to attend.

The council discussed the best way to recruit and it was agreed upon that for now – the council members/troopers would solicit via word of mouth. We are looking for 4 people currently – especially from the area mention above – also reach out to the business community.

The council meeting is public but twice a year making a concerted effort to reach out to the public and solicit commentary.



Capt. Hagan expressed gratitude to the group for our willingness to help, and appreciates what we are doing.

Glen U. would like the Troop to express what they are doing. and recommended an open house would be a good idea – another way to make contact.

It was suggested that we invite a High School Student to be part of the council as they are a target population.

Everett B. offered to contact JROTC to see if one of them is interested in involvement

Janet M. suggested going door-to door in the target communities of Coolspring. Pinetown, Belltown and suggested the Law Enforcement Nite Out works well

George Lari will take responsibility to contact the Milton Chamber for membership recommendations.

Capt. Hagan suggested he would like to begin doing a “Coffee with the Captain” in various areas the Troop serves once a month to hear directly from the communities to initiate a stronger relationship with the community.

We are pound of having reached our one year anniversary having come so far

Motion to adjourn – Arthur Sutton

Seconded – Margaret Reyes

Meeting adjourned at 8:30

DELAWARE STATE POLICE

CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

September 27^th, 2007



Attendees: Glen Urquhart, George Lari, Nic Mirro, Diaz Bonville, Joe Sipos, Cliff Stabner, Linda Bosco, Stephen Simmons, Margaret Reyes, Zaida Guajardo

Excused: Patricia Arnett, Janet Maull, Arthur Sutton

Guest Speaker: Tim Winstead, Sussex County Director for Senator Ton Carper

Intro: Tim Winstead gave a brief overview of Senator Carper and his office

            They have a staff of 40 people – around the State as well as in D.C.

            There are 15 staffers in Delaware

State staff deals with Constitutant issues – keeps the Senator informed of Major issues

1)      BEACH REPLENISHMENT

2)      Funding issues of the

3)      Sewer systems in the county

4)      Veterans issues , Medicaid, passports & immigration

Office can make a congressional inquiry – this will speed things along sometimes

The Current congress votes 5 days a week – in the past it was only 3 days a week leaving 2 days to return to the home state

County Days – these are days the Senator is in the County – usually no less that 2 times a month

It is obvious that Senator Carper is very hard-working and dedicated to his constituents, as well as insuring that he is available to his constituent

The Senators office frequently gets calls regarding policing issues – he does not in fact look into these issues - they are directed to a specific person in an appropriate agency. Every call is responded to as well as every letter and email

Everett Beach VFW in Rehoboth & Dover expressed appreciation of Senator Carper’s support over the year in regards to veterans’ issues

Georgetown Veterans Hospital – this issue is still open - currently locations are being assessed.

This concluded the Guest Speakers remarks – Mr. Winstead handed out informational brochures regarding services at the Senator’s office

Call to approve agenda items:

            1^st – Pat

            2^nd – Wanda

            Voting – anonymous

Call for approval of the minutes

            1^st - Everett

TROOP 7

CITIZEN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL

AUGUST 23^RD, 2007

This month’s meeting was held at the Lewes Fire Hall.

ATTENDING – Patricia Arnett, Linda Bosco, Stephen Simmons, Captain John Yeomans, George Lari, Wanda Davis, Margaret Reyes, Arthur Sutton, Cpl. Bill Matt, Sgt. Mark Hudson, Janett Maull, Joe Sipos, Nic Mirro

SUBMITTED EXCUSES – Cliff Stabner, Everett Beach, Diaz Bonville,

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:



                                    MOTION MADE – Arthur Sutton

                                    SECONDED – Nic Mirro

                                    VOTING – unanimous

Discussion was had on two points of business:

                        Waiving the reading of the minutes – the members of the council feel that with the minutes being transmitted at least a week prior to the next scheduled meeting, each member should read the minutes when they receive them and note corrections or changes to be discussed at the next meeting before they are approved.

Approval of waiving the reading of the minutes:

                        MOTION MADE – Arthur Sutton

                        SECONDED – Wanda Davis

                        VOTING - unanimous

Attendance at meetings –After 3 consecutive unexcused absences that member maybe be terminated.

Approval of Attendance issue:



                                    MOTION MADE – Arthur Sutton

                                    SECONDED –George Lari

                                    VOTING - unanimous

DISCUSSION OF THE FORMAT OF THE MEETINGS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMITTEES

Approval of agenda –

                                    MOTION - Arthur Sutton

                                    SECONDED – Margaret Reyes

                                    VOTING – unanimous

The Agenda will be transmitted at least three days prior to the next regularly scheduled Council Meeting.

The Minutes are to be transmitted at least 7 days prior to the next regularly scheduled Council meeting

Any Guest speaker will be able to present after the approval of the minutes and the agenda but before the business of the Council. This way, any guest speaker is not held over unnecessarily.

Unfinished Business – formally know as Old Business – this is anything that maintains as such until resolved or put out to committee or otherwise terminated.

New Business will be brought up, discussed then filtered out the appropriate committee. Where is it processed and some form of outcome measurement will be applied.

Committees – having a focus on only 3 committees allows those committees to have a manageable amount of work within a timeframe. If they are given 6 months to deal with an issue they need to report out on what has been accomplished.

Good of the Order/Announcements – discussion to work with keeping this in the agenda and see hoe it works – if it is not manageable we can change the format to one that is more workable.

Suggestion – “good of the order” may leave a back door open for time grabbing and too much discussion. There may not be a need for this

CHAIR RECOMMENDATION – delete this item

ADJOURNEMNTS AND LENFTH OF MEETINGS – Meetings to be kept to 1.5 hours including brief committee report and a guest speaker. There will be a float of 5-10 minutes in case of special issues.

By-LAWS – they are currently being worked on and will be transmitted when they are ready for discussion. This goes for the “workbook” as well.

DSP UPDATES - Captain Yeomans shared the following:

            PERSONNEL CHANGE – Doug Reed formally the Cape SRO has left for Sussex Tech

Bill Matt is the new SRO for Cape- Congratulations to Bill Matt and GOOD LUCK!!

Dave Pritchett is coming over fro Troop 4 - Dave was a SRO

Terrance Frank and a new k-9 begin training in September – Congrads and good luck!

RECENT EVENTS – State Rt 1 and the 3^rd lane closure. Deldot has time limitation and budget constraints and this is the reason for the work to begin now.

Please bear with them

Rt 1 shut down earlier due to severe storms form Dewey to the Inlet Bridge

Press Conference with Beau Biden – rolling out the new “nuisance abatement law” this is a Civil process to ID problems that have an ongoing problem i.e. drugs, gambling etc. This Civil process allows for the removal of owners and/or tenants causing these problems. It is a new tool to assist communities in trouble to have brighter future,

Labor Day coming up – DUI check points will be in force State - wide

Body found at Conquest Road has been identified – person does have some family locally.

Body found in Fenwick Island also has been identified

Homicide on Long Neck was the result of Domestic Violence. Victim was beaten to death within 48 hours the suspect was apprehended on DC

Captain Yeomans will be present at the AIDS Delaware Bingo at Rehoboth Convention Centre to give an update on the Paula Grossi murder.

False Alarm legislation was passed and signed by the Governor – this will go far in facilitating that false alarms are stopped and repaired

VIP – Volunteers in Policing Program – The Captain and Cpl. Matt visited Chief McLaughlin in Ocean View to review their VIP program. This program acts like a “force multiplier” Actually it is like having an auxiliary police force/

By the spring the Captain would like to see some sort of volunteer program in place that has some “teeth” in it to better serve the community

To look into more deeply council members are encouraged to go to

                        www.policevolunteers.org

COMMITTEES;



            Suggestion to put the VIP program under Police Functioning. Have the VIP program under one committee not split up under various committees – this will allow for better alignment of issues as well as continuity. Bearing that the bulk of our meetings have been during the summer months we have not had a high attendance. It is anticipated that once the vacation time is over that attendance will increase starting in September.

Looking at the VIP Program, there need to be a needs assessment done within the Troop to decide what the Troop needs and how they will plug in the volunteers that come forward. Establish those needs, prioritize those needs then recruit and advertise to fill those needs Selection, Orientation and Training will be the format to follow for the VIP members. We would also look at funding both internally and externally. Also look at partnerships as well as sponsorships

Police Functioning Committee – will be tasked with the internal workings of the Troop, specifically the VIP program, and how to assist in that endeavor.

Crime Prevention Committee – This committee will look at Neighborhood Watch programs and re-establishment of them and starting new ones. A proactive approach to crime prevention

Community Liaison – this committee will be a two-way conduit for communication out to the communities from the Troop and to the Troop from the community. This can be accomplished in many ways.

The Committees have the following members:

Crime Prevention:

            Pat Arnett

            Nic Mirro

            Arthur Sutton

            Troop Liaison – Troop Detective TBA

Police Functioning:

            George Lari

            Joe Sipos

            Nic Mirro

            Troop Liaison – Cpl Bill Matt

Community Liaison:

            Diaz Bonneville

            Everett Beach

            Janet Maull

            Troop Liaison – Sgt. Mark Hudson

Within the next month, the committees will meet and report back on the following:

                        -mission

                        -objectives

                        -tasks to be accomplished

Within 90 days, there is to be a measurable outcome and focus for the future

Capt .Yeomans made the following commentary:

            Diaz has been doing a lot in the communities about racism and dealing with the issue and having doors open to all communities within the Troop 7 area. Gangs need to be looked at closely. Loosely affiliated youth groups, while not carrying the “big” gang names of the ‘Bloods” or “Latin Kings” are just as focused and dangerous.

There are just not enough neighborhood watches – there does need to be more established

School Resource Officers need to be pro-active with gangs and youth groups. Watch the school and what is happening with in them



George Lari suggested using, as a resource pool, the graduated members of the Citizen’s Police Academy. He also mentioned involving members of the Fire Companies. At least three members of the CAC are also Fire Company members

MOTION MADE FOR ADJOURNMENT – Arthur Sutton

SECONDED – Captain Yeomans

VOTING – unanimous

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 2035

Troop 7

Citizen’s Advisory Council Meeting

July 26th, 2007

IN ATTENDANCE: Arthur Sutton, Everett Beach, Janet Maull, Linda Bosco, Nicolas Mirro, George Lari, Trish Rickards-Arnett, Capt.J. Yeomans, Sgt. Bill Matt, Stephen Simmons,

SUBMITTED EXCUSES: Joe Sipos

UPDATES:

Coastal Region – thefts from vehicles as a result of not securing said vehicles – so remember!!! LOCK UP

DWI dedication ceremony – Kick off for the DWI campaign in memory of Officer Christopher Shea. 700 cars stopped – 3 DUI arrests and 1 narcotic seizure. These numbers show that compliance is high. DWI stops will continue through out the summer. DUI fatalities down 50%.

July 4^th weekend – except for the discharge of weapon incident at Burton Village, nothing more major happened

Narcotics are at the basis of the nationwide spike in violent crime

DISCUSSION: On “Volunteerism in Police Programs” initiated in Alexandria, Va – this could take on many forms – Crime Prevention, Call-backs, Welfare Checks, Disabled Vehicles, Etc.

            This program uses volunteers to assist the police departments with non-emergency calls leaving the officer free to concentrate on major incidents.

PRESENTER: April Willey from the State Office of Senior Volunteer Programs

This is a federally funded with State Sponsors.

Ms. Willey creates programs and recruits and retains volunteers to have an impact locally in their communities.

-To engage the over 55 people in getting active in their communities

-there is supplemental insurance coverage available at no cost to the volunteer

1. Family Disaster Preparedness Programs

            -to prepare people for catastrophic events

            -to prepare also for lesser events whether natural or man-made

2. DADS – Delaware Animal Disaster Services

            -to save human lives by saving the lives of their pets

            -micro chipping of pets- low cost clinics $20 per animal

The need for Senior Volunteers is growing – they are actively looking to recruit and retain active seniors that want to engage their communities.

Sussex County Citizens Corps Council – group or seven to ten people from diverse backgrounds to prepare and discuss potential reactions to disasters

This group will sit under the County Council – the county will be able to go to a new level of preparedness...

There are 1200 active volunteer over 55 in Sussex County.

THANK YOU APRIL FOR A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION

COMMUNITY ISSUES: Increase need for Neighborhood Watch Programs with some new recruits and fresh faces. There needs to be an increase the liaisons from the communities to DSP. There need to be a change in the mentality from reactive to proactive. People wan need to be on a winning team and communities tend to come together over issues when they arise – the challenge is to keep the community active and working together, realizing that the issue is constancy and not to activate when there is a need and continue to go from crises to crises.

There also needs to be a correlation between “task” and “conclusion” as well as “actively engaging” the community.

287 (g): Update on this training (allows Police agencies to enforce immigration laws under special circumstances) actively being sought by the Georgetown police Department and the “chilling” effect this may have on the Latino Community, although 287 (g) will help remove the criminal and violent element more efficiently, the community at large may not understand that this is the case and may be afraid to come forward if they are victims or witnesses to crimes.

Also discussed was human trafficking in Delaware and specifically Sussex County and the case that was discovered last year. It is maybe surprising that this is the case here but is has happened and there is a Federal District attorney assigned to trafficking in persons for the State of Delaware.

Prostitution in on the increase in Rehoboth among the foreign students as well as education of foreign students on their rights as well as traffic laws. Some students are being preyed upon by both unscrupulous agencies in their countries as well as unscrupulous employers and landlords here in this area. Outsourcing to various agencies in this area that can assist them to have a safe and profitable summer.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

            Motion made to approve minutes - Captain Yeomans

            Seconded – Arthur Sutton

            Voting – unanimous approval

            Motion to open the nomination for officers – Arthur Sutton

            Seconded – Margaret Reyes

            Voting – unanimous approval

            Nominations for Chairperson:

                        Motion for Stephen Simmons for President – George Lari

                        Seconded - Janet Maull

                        Voting – unanimous approval

            Nominations for Vice-Chair:

                        Motion for Linda Bosco fro Vice-Chair – Arthur Sutton

                        Seconded – Stephen Sutton

                        Voting – unanimous approval

            Nomination for Secretary:

                        Motion for Margaret Reyes for Secretary – Stephen Simmons

                        Seconded – Capt. Yeomans

                        Voting – unanimous approval

OLD BUSINESS:

DISCUSSION ON FORMAT OF MEETINGS:

            It was agreed that while Robert’s Rules of Order is the way that business will be done. A more informal process of calls and discussion will be followed. The council will run more as a committee – not to be bogged down in bureaucracy.

The president has asked all members to look at the possible committees that they would like to be members of and to send in both first and second choices for appointment to these committees.

Possible list of committees:    Community Education/Liaison

                                                Social Justice

                                                Communication

                                                Race and Discrimination

                                                Neighborhood Watch

                                                Criminal/Traffic

                                                Business/residential Crime Prevention

The above is a suggested list of committees brought up by various members, there may be others or some issues may fall under already decided topics.

Composition or representation of districts – there will be a minimum of 13 members. As members either leave the council or their terms end – that position will be backfilled by new applicants.

Voting – the council agreed to wave voting for the time being. However, in case that there needs to be an issue voted on a notice will be sent in advance to all members so that all members will be aware that there is a potential vote looming. Members not able to attend may send their vote in electronically.

Issues on agenda will be in this format:   DISCUSS, CONSIDER,VOTE

The ideology of the council is not to be weighted down by complicity nor be wieldy but to be open and for communication to flow freely. Structure will be in place if needed but dialogue will be the focus.

Meetings will be scheduled to be from 7pm to 8:30 pm. occasionally, they may run late but no later than 9pm.

FOIA & CONFIDENTIALITY – we are an open council and subject to FOIA. Minutes to be available to the public upon request. There is also the possibility of publishing them on the web site our President has created.

Proprietary information to be kept in Executive Session. Confidentiality agreements will not be required.

MEDIA RELATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS – Captain Yeomans and the Chairman Stephen Simmons will be the designated spokespersons for the Council and the Troop. Any media contact will be handled by them and only them. All inquiries by the media are to be referred to them.

TOWN HALL MEETING: Tabled until further discussion

NEW BUSINESS:

Development of a “workbook” for all existing members and for new incoming members – this book will contain out Mission and Vision Statement, rules o order and a list of Standing Committees. It will also have minutes and by-laws. Stephen has generously agreed to compile this workbook.

EMAILS – Please remember to email Committees you may like to be a member of – First and second preferences please. Send your preferences to Margaret with a cc to the President and Vice-president

Captain Yeomans thanked all for their input and thanked the newly elected officers for their willingness to serve.

Next meeting is scheduled for August 23^rd, 2007 at 7pm at Lingo Creek Apartments

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Motion to close the meeting – Captain Yeomans

                        Seconded – Arthur Sutton

                        Voting – all approved

Respectfully Submitted,

Margaret Reyes

Secretary

CITIZEN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL

MINUTES

JUNE 18^TH, 2007

ATTENDEES: Capt. Yeoman’s (DSP), Lt. Roger Willey (DSP) Arthur Sutton, George Lari, Glen Urquhart, Patricia Arnett, Margaret Reyes

SUBMITTED EXCUSES: Diaz Bonville, Steve Simmons, Everett Beach

PASS ON’S: Capt. Yeoman’s passed on to the group several points of interest that happened since we last met, namely;

May 24^th OPERATION RIPTIDE – indictments on 23 drug traffickers in West Rehoboth were handed down. There was a successful sweep of these individuals. It consisted of a multi-agency operation after a 6 month long investigation had been completed. The feedback from the residents of west Rehoboth was overwhelmingly positive. After the initial phase, a 2^nd phase sweep was executed of wanted persons.12 of these individuals were picked up. There will be more of these initiates this summer.
Aggressive Driving Campaign – “Floor it but not on the Highway” This is a campaign with the Office of Highway Safety, The DSP and OC Flooring. The goal is to raise awareness of and stop aggressive driving. Monies are donated to Beebe Medical Centre for the Trauma Area.
Memorial Day - DUI Checkpoints as well as “Click it or Ticket Campaigns”

Successful initiates such as the ones above will continue throughout the summer.

OLD BUSINESS: The structure of the council and what our mission/vision/and strategy is, was discussed based on the design document sent out. The work attending members did represents the ideology of all contributors, those in attendance and those absent who submitted input – which was gratefully received.

OFFICERS, TERMS AND NOMINATIONS – Chairperson, Vice-chair, Recording Secretary – these are the officers and the terms used to describe them.

These positions are currently vacant and nominations will be taken up until we vote as a body at the next meeting scheduled for July 26^th, 2007.

Currently, Steve Simmons has expressed interest in serving in some capacity as an officer. Anyone interested please let the group know what your interest is.

Terms – no more than 2 two year terms. After the first 2 year term, a Council member may reapply for a second two year term, if accepted, that Council members will sit for another two year term at which time their term will expire and their seat at the Council will be filled by another party. Terms will be staggered in one and two year terms. There will be more discussion to fill this out.

Members – members of the Council shall be representative of the general makeup of the population at large

Nominations - Council members, Troop Officers and the public at large may either nominate others or themselves for appointment to the Council. The Troop Commander will perform a criminal background check and the Council will discuss the merits of the individual and after this vetting process, the individual will either be appointed or passed over.

The Council shall consist of no more that 20 persons and no less that 13 persons.

Termination: A Council member may resign by writing a letter of intent to the Council Chair with a copy to the Troop Commander. A council member may also be terminated at any time for cause at the discretion of the officers of the Council and the approval of the Troop Commander

MEETING RULES OF ORDER AND PERSONAL CODE OF CONDUCT:

The Rules of Order shall follow a Parliamentarian style, Specifically Robert’s Rules of Order.

Code of Conduct: All members shall conduct their personal business in a manner that upholds appropriate standards of conduct and does not bring disrepute upon the Council, the C-ommunity or the Delaware State Police.

MEDIA RELATIONS, FOIA AND CONFIDENTIALITY: Council members need to be aware of the fact that there may be discussions of a sensitive nature involved. Council members will not discuss issues or report to the media without going thru the appropriate channels. (This is currently under development.) We are an open body. Meetings will be generally open, however if a sensitive issue needs to be dealt with the Council may have the option of an Executive Session which will excuse all non-members. Capt. Yeoman’s is currently checking with in-house council to check the FOIA requirements. We may also be looking at signing confidentiality agreements.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS: At a time condusive to the community, we are thinking about having a Town Hall meeting to allow the public at large to have their voices heard. There would be a time limit set to speak and people would be required to sign in and rules of decorum would apply.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Mission of the Delaware State Police Troop 7 Citizen Advisory Council is to strengthen and enhance the relationship between the Delaware State Police and the communities they serve.

STRATEGY: The Council shall meet regularly to discuss police services, relevant and topical issues relating to public safety, community–police education and inter-community relations. It shall also discuss other pertinent quality of life issues and will make recommendations to Delaware State Police Troop Commanders.

VISION: We envision growing awareness, trust, relationships and resources; resulting in reduced crime, safer communities and greater quality of life.

NEW BUSINESS:

Soliciting Input for the next meeting on the following topics:

Standing Committees – which ones shall we have?

Ad Hoc Committees – which ones shall we have?

Nominations/interest in officer positions

FOIA issues to be discussed

NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JULY 26^th, 2007 AT LINGO CREEK FACILITY

Respectfully submitted,

Margaret Reyes

Introductory Meeting

Citizen’s Advisory Gouncil

Work Notes - April 18^th, 2007

Meeting Convened at 7pm – Lingo Creek Community Bldg – Long Neck

Opening and welcome statement from Capt. John Yeoman’s, Delaware State Police and Troop #7 Commander.

Staff introductions:

1. Lt. Rick Cohee – Deputy Troop Commander – Criminal Operations Lieutenant

2. Lt. Roger Willey – Deputy Troop Commander – Traffic Lieutenant

3. Sgt. Kim Hardy – Shift commander

4. Sgt. Mark Hudson – Shift Commander

5. Detective William Matt – Community Liaison Officer

Members Present (in order of self introduction):

Everett Beech – worked for Westinghouse for many years – currently serves on the Cape Henlopen Senior Center Board – Active at St. Jude’s Church

Wanda Davis – Mayor of Henlopen Acres and Master Gardner

Cliff Stabner – Former City of New York Police Department and former FDNY firefighter. Retired in 2003 – member Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team – currently on the Lewes Fire Department

Janet Maull- Retired Elementary School Teacher form Cape Henlopen School District – currently on the Habitat for Humanity Board

Stephen Simmons, JD – Former Wilmington Police Department Homicide Detective – retired Senior, Counsel for the National Boy Scouts of America

Glen Urquhart – Real Estate Developer – Internet Security Specialist

Trish Arnett – B.S. in Behavioral Science – Currently work in the Prison System and is working towards her Master’s in Gerontology

Margaret Reyes – Retired Firefighter, Montgomery County Maryland – Social Justice Chair for the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs

Nick Mirro, JD – Investigator for Department of State – State Human Relations Commission –

George Lari – Former Security specialist, former Police Officer and Private Investigator

Joe Sipos – Sales person – many traveled road miles

Linda Mosco – worked for many years with attorneys and in the judicial system – currently works in the school system

Larry Wunderland – retired, community involvement

Barbara Wunderland – retired – Lion’s Club – active in her community

Diaz Boneville – involved in the West Rehoboth Community and at Sussex Central Middle School as well as Westside New Beginnings

Not Present:



       1. Zaida Guajardo – Executive Director, La Esperanza Community Center, Georgetown, Local Business Owner – Clothes to U Cleaners, Midway

General Discussion:

            Purpose of the group – Who are we as a body, how do we define ourselves? What are we as a body?

            This is not a Neighborhood Watch Group



We live, work and represent a multitude of Communities and have commitment to improve the communities in which we are involved.

We come together to identify problems, issues in the community and to work with the local Troop to assist them in solving some of these problems.

DSP wants to actively engage our communities into stronger partnerships.

We, as a group, have hundreds of years of knowledge and experience in our communities and professional backgrounds

We want to be a bridge spanning Communities and Law Enforcement. Ideas to flow in both directions and a better understanding of how the other communities, including Law enforcement think, feel, react and respond to various issues and crises.

Open and respectful dialogue will facilitate understanding.

Power Point Presentation:

An overview of Delaware State Police especially Troop #7

Officers Assigned – volume of calls – broken out as to type and frequency

Square Miles covered – Staffing

Special Services

Many ideas put forward as to how to deal with some issues i.e.

Frequent False Alarms

Budgetary Constraints

Role of Volunteers, Cadets etc

All members are cordially invited to the Memorial Services for Tpr. Christopher Shea and Tpr. Kevin Mallon both tragically killed in the line of Duty. Memorial scheduled for April 23^rd at 11am at Troop #7 – reception to follow. See links below.

http://www.dsp.delaware.gov/pio/bushweller/042007T7Memorial.htm

www.delawaretrooper.com/museum/DSP%20History.htm

Meeting adjourned at 10pm – Date, place and time of next meeting to be determined – but ideally one meeting per month

Homework:

            Each member is to write and short paragraph on what they feel this group is about.

What they feel is the mission/vision is

And how do we get there….