Mayor Mike Purzycki, Chief Robert J. Tracy Announce Start of 101st Wilmington Police Academy

March 8, 2022

Sixteen recruits begin an intensive 23-week training program this week

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Chief of Police Robert J. Tracy today announced the opening of the 101st Wilmington Police Academy. Sixteen recruits who completed a comprehensive application and selection process embarked this week on a rigorous training program. The recruits were selected from among the 102 men and women who applied to join the Wilmington Police Department.

The latest police class is the most diverse since 2013. Seventy-five percent of the academy is comprised of minority recruits—including seven Black males, two Black females, two Hispanic males, and one male with two or more racial/ethnic backgrounds. The diversity percentage is even higher if you include female recruits, who represent a minority in policing.

File Photo: By Saquan Stimpson

 

“Over the past several years, we have been working diligently to recruit future Wilmington Police officers, and to continue to increase the diversity of our department,” said Chief Tracy. “I am proud of the efforts of Inspector Charles Emory, Captain Anthony Bowers, and our recruitment team, which have resulted in this historically diverse academy class. Our agency continues to become more reflective of the community we serve, and I look forward to these recruits joining our department.”

Of the 16 recruits, four currently live in Wilmington, while the others will have to establish City residency in order to satisfy Wilmington’s five-year employee residency requirement. Along with Wilmington Police recruits, the Academy will also include three recruits for the Delaware Capitol Police and one class member from the Wilmington Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office.

The Mayor and Chief congratulated the recruits on their selection following a challenging application process, which included a written exam, physical agility test, interview panels including a Chief’s interview, and psychological and medical evaluations.

File Photo: Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki gives remarks during a press conferences Photo By Saquan Stimpson

 

“Law enforcement is an important and honorable profession that serves and protects our people and our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We are moving as rapidly as possible to ensure that our department is reflective of the community it serves. This new class of recruits will be taught that their success depends on how well they interact with and are supported by the residents and businesses of our City. They are about to enter into an important community partnership with benefits that are innumerable.”

According to Chief Tracy, the recruits will begin each morning at 5:30 a.m. with two hours of physical fitness, followed by eight hours of classroom time. In addition to studying Delaware criminal and traffic law, patrol functions, and procedural justice, all recruits receive training in weapons, de-escalation, and crisis intervention tactics over the course of nearly six months.

“The Wilmington Police Academy includes a training regimen designed to prepare our future police officers for the wide range of scenarios they will encounter in service to our community,” said Chief Tracy. “They will also learn about the proven, evidence-based crime reduction strategies our department has adopted, as well as critical topics like constitutional law, legal matters, de-escalation tactics, and community engagement.”

As with past recruitment processes, members of the WPD Human Resources Division utilized a variety of means to share information about the process and encourage applications. That included members of the recruitment team attending career fairs and other programs at high schools, colleges – including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the City’s HBCU Week – and visiting community centers to promote the WPD and to share information with those who might be interested in a career in law enforcement. Recruitment teams also worked with the faith community and other community-based organizations to promote the application process.

To learn more about the Wilmington Police Department’s hiring process, and to contact a recruiter about future hiring processes, visit https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-police-department/join-the-wilmington-police-department.