Dover Municipal Police Academy graduates 18

By Craig Anderson

DOVER — Eighteen recruits completed 21 weeks of training Friday during the Dover Municipal Police Academy’s graduation.

The gathering, held at Dover High School, included addresses by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen and Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson.

Several awards were presented for outstanding performances by recruits, who will join 13 departments:

• Milford’s Hunter Simpson earned the Academic Achievement Award, given to the attendee who demonstrated a high level of academic proficiency throughout the academy.
• Tyler Mau of Camden was given the Top Shot Award, which goes to a recruit who demonstrated the highest level of marksmanship proficiency and firearms safety throughout day and night training and qualification courses.
• Dover’s Jonathan Lopez took the Physical Fitness Award, given to the participant who demonstrated a high level of physical fitness, strength and endurance, while continuing to push to a higher level.
• The Francis T. Schneible Resiliency Award also went to Officer Simpson. This honor — named after a Dover policeman shot and injured in the line of duty in 1968 — is given to the recruit who showed the most resiliency during the academy.
• Kyle Cox of Milton received the Cpl. Thomas Hannon Top Recruit Award, given to the recruit who displayed an outstanding effort and demonstrated quality leadership. This honor is named for a Dover corporal who suffered a leg injury during an arrest in 2012, which caused him to lose his life five years later.

Mayor Christiansen, who oversees the city police department, saluted members of the force who make the academy happen.

“I am so proud of them because they not only participate in training these new police officers to go out on the street and do the job, but they still continue to do the jobs that they have to do,” he said.

“They’re multitasking, and it shows the caliber of folks that we have working at Dover PD. I’m so proud of the men and women of the Dover Police Department for the job they do within our community, the impact that they’re having on municipalities.”

And that commitment allows police chiefs from all three Delaware counties to send recruits to Dover for training, he added.

“We have chiefs throughout the state, as was the example at the graduation ceremony on Friday, that have placed their trust and confidence in the municipal training that we offer for their police officers,” he said. “And, in this day and age, it’s just hard to find people that want to become a police officer.”

Graduating recruits and their departments included:

• Camden — Tyler Mau.
• Dover — Tyler Hughto, Jonathan Lopez, Jean Jacques-LaFleur and Anthony Weedon.
• Fenwick Island — Cameron Clift.
• Georgetown — Maxwell Bruette.
• Harrington — Davin Anderson and Austin Rains.
• Laurel — Bryan Tindley.
• Milford — Hunter Simpson and Carlos Hernandez.
• Millsboro — Brian Cabezas.
• Milton — Kyle Cox.
• Newport — Shane Smith.
• Ocean View — Dylan Murphy.
• South Bethany — Matthew Boyd.
• Wyoming — Alexis McCullough.

The academy has been in place since 2020 and has had four graduating classes.