New Castle County to again add police officers

New Castle County Council has approved increasing the number of county police officers for the second time in a year. 

County Council on Tuesday approved adding to the number of officers under Chief Col. Elmer Setting's command by 20 — taking the authorized force to 420.

Setting said the move is an intentional "overhire" that is meant to help the department increase the actual number of officers working to the previously authorized force of 400. He said the department is currently down to fewer than 380 officers with 56 officers eligible to retire.

He said the move will not see 420 officers working the street, but allow for more new recruits to bring staffing levels closer to 400 while offsetting imminent retirements.

"I'm asking council to use some serious foresight," Setting said Tuesday. "We are not effective trying to police 427 square miles and get police service to 550,000 people, answering 400,000 911 calls a year when we are down 20, 30, 40 officers." 

The increase will add $500,000 to the county's budget for this fiscal year. The ordinance states that cost will be covered by funded positions that are vacant within the department. County Council unanimously approved the measure. 

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Setting said that the increase is meant to be temporary to fill the ranks to offset attrition and the positions must be reauthorized in the coming fiscal year council wants the increase in force to continue. 

"I want to make sure for certain it is temporary," Councilman Penrose Hollins said.

"We have some serious challenges that are ongoing," said Councilman Jea Street. "Quite frankly, I'd rather see us take the risk and go a little over than be short."

The move comes nearly a year after the department increased the authorized force by 15.

A $1.8 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will cover just over 40 percent of the cost for those officers until 2018. 

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The difference not covered by the grant will be calculated into the police department budget in coming years. The cost to taxpayers is set to grow to $1.2 million in the last six months of the grant if a six-month extension is allowed. Lawmakers will then have to find a way to cover the $1.6 million annual cost once the grant expires.

The county's Public Safety Department, which includes emergency response and policing, accounts for 40 percent of county government workers. Police operations are under the Public Safety Department and include $79 million in government salaries and benefits for this fiscal year. It's the largest portion of the county's budget. 

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.