New Harrington Police Chief Gillespie has proactive plans
By HARRINGTON - New chief of police Adam Gillespie is seeking more officers to join his department as soon as possible.
While the City of Harrington has budgeted for 12 officers, only six slots are currently filled. Two more will join upon Dover Municipal Police Academy graduation Friday.
That still leaves four positions are open. The chief said the recruitment process is ongoing, and some promising candidates are involved.
Filling the spots are crucial, Chief Gillespie said, because the model of policing in Harrington involves ample time for officers to engage the community.
Currently, he said, the officers “are constantly chasing complaints.”
That doesn’t conform to what the police chief envisions in the future. While Harrington is officially a city of just more than 4,000 residents, Chief Gillespie calls it a “small town.”
The ultimate goal, Chief Gillespie said, “is being as proactive as we can, being visible whether it’s just members of the public seeing us out.
“We need to be visible in all areas, all of our businesses, the residential districts as best as we can. We need to spend as much time out in the community interacting with people.
“That’s tough right now because we’re short staffed and our officers don’t have time for it.
“But as I’ve said, we’re rebuilding and we’ll get back to that.”
Chief Gillespie, 42, was to reach 19 years of service with the Harrington Police Department on Wednesday. The Caesar Rodney High and Neumann University graduate (with a public safety administration degree) began as a patrolman first class with the agency and rose to a captain by the time he was selected to replace retiring chief Kenny Brode.
Chief Gillespie was sworn into office during Monday’s city council meeting.
And as to the crime issues the city faces, the new chief said that “I think they’re just like anywhere else.
“There’s drug use which leads to vehicle break ins, residential burglaries, things like that.
“The crime waves will come and go. Things will be calm for a couple months and there will be a resurgence.”
On a positive note, Chief Gillespie, the department’s officer of the year in 2007, said that “violent crime (here) is down. I don’t have the statistics for that but just from knowing what we’ve handled in the past and where we’re at now, we have not had a big influx of it.”
City Manager Norman Barlow, a past Harrington police chief, believes the department will thrive under its new leader.
“I’ve worked with Adam for many years and he’s always been a go-getter and he’s always been out there making things happen,” he said. “So I’m really excited to work with him as the city manager now.
“I’m looking for good things from him and I think he’s gonna take department where needs to be and where it used to be.
“I think the guys and ladies of the department are going to be excited and I think morale will be boosted.”
