Does Wilmington have an opportunity to make a permanent investment into community safety?
Thursday night, members of City Council will consider an ordinance to codify the Office of Community Safety in the Mayor’s office, just weeks after Mayor John Carney signed an Executive Order to create it. Funding has been approved for a director and a grant-writer.
“This moment reflects years of advocacy, organizing, and a shared commitment to doing public safety differently,” Councilwoman Shané Darby said. Explaining why this matters, she added “we have lost too many lives to violence in this city. I want to recognize those lives, those families and especially the mothers who continue to carry that pain every single day.”
Carney and Police Chief Wilfredo Campos made reference to the Wilmington Police Department year-end report for 2025 earlier this year, which documented a decline in the overall rate of serious crimes and a two-decade low in the number of shootings. They said progress in combating crime was happening because of “data-informed strategies,” targeting known hot spots, “expanded officer training and accountability, partnerships with community organizations and public agencies,” and more…