Mayor Carney and Chief Campos welcome Delaware’s largest law enforcement training

Chief Campos and the command staff introduce themselves to the recruit class. (Photo credit Brett Garwood)

WILMINGTON-  Mayor John Carney and Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos announced the commencement of the 104th Wilmington Police Academy.

On Monday, 12 recruits embarked on the department’s rigorous training program, joining the ranks of Delaware’s largest city’s law enforcement training initiative.

The selected recruits were pulled from a competitive pool of 96 applicants, demonstrating their dedication and perseverance through a comprehensive selection process. The class, which is more than double the size of the department’s past two classes, has attracted a significantly large number of applicants. 

“While we have seen increases in applicants for our past several academy classes, with this most recent application process, we saw an increase associated with the removal of the age cap that we previously had in place,” David Karas, Police Policy and Communications Director wrote in a statement to Delaware Live. 

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Mayor Carney and Chief Campos congratulated the recruits on their selection after completing an extensive application process, which included a written exam, physical ability test, multiple interview panels—including a Chief’s interview—and psychological and medical evaluations.

The Wilmington Police Department tries to attract quality candidates for law enforcement careers by continuing to use a wide variety of recruitment channels to attract applicants. 

“Our recruitment teams visit colleges and universities – including Historically Black Colleges and Universities – in Delaware and throughout the region.”

They also visit community centers and partner with the faith community and businesses to help get the word out when we are accepting applications. Recruiters also attend monthly Community Resource Fairs and other community events to speak with prospective applicants and share details and applications.

“Our police department has made significant strides in making our city safer and building stronger police-community relations.” 

The academy’s training schedule is rigorous, beginning each morning at 5:30 a.m. with two hours of physical fitness, followed by eight hours of classroom instruction. Recruits will study Delaware criminal and traffic law, patrol functions, and procedural justice. Additionally, all recruits will receive specialized training in de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention tactics to better serve the community.

The training program addresses modern policing challenges, such as community relations and mental health crises. Community engagement, de-escalation, law enforcement legitimacy, and crisis intervention are some of the most important elements of the academy’s curriculum.

“We have placed a strong emphasis on these topics through our police academies.” 

The department says they continue to update and work on the police academy’s curriculum to reflect the latest policies, best practices, and legal standards.

The academy, like others throughout Delaware, follows guidance from the State of Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

“Through our accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, we are also able to integrate best practices into each of our policies, and this carries through to how we train our newest police officers, as well.”

You can find more details about crime reduction strategies in the WPD PUBLIC SAFTEY PLAN AND STRATEGIES. These proven crime reduction strategies have been used in communities like Wilmington.

“We empower each of our police officers to be a community policing officer, and to be part of our intelligence-led policing and other key strategies to help make our communities safer.”

By learning these strategies, the police department believes the graduates will be equipped to make a difference in Wilmington neighborhoods.   

Claudia Estrada

Claudia is a Philadelphia-based journalist and reporter passionate about storytelling that informs and engages the community. Claudia, a proud Temple University graduate, has built a career covering impactful stories and creating compelling content across digital and print media platforms. With a strong background in writing, editing, and research, Claudia has worked on various topics, from local news to in-depth features, always striving to deliver meaningful and accurate reporting.