Dial 911 for emergencies.   Non-emergency calls for service, such as noise problems, should be directed to the Dewey Beach Police Department at (302) 227-1110.

The Dewey Beach Police Department is located at 105 Rodney Avenue, Town Hall.  See our Map page for the location at Rodney Avenue.  http://police.deweytown.us/map.htm

We currently have 8 sworn, full-time officers and 3 part-time officers.

We normally hire 38 seasonal police officers.

Our full-time police officers attend the Delaware State Police Academy in Dover, Delaware.  The recruit attends for six months and receives approximately 800 hours of instruction for basic law enforcement certification. Once the academy is completed, the officer will then be partnered with a Field Training Officer (F.T.O.) for at least 8 weeks.  The F.T.O. will make sure that the officer is capable of handling his/her duties safely and efficiently.

The State of Delaware requires a minimum of 21 hours of training for a seasonal police officer.  Our seasonal officers receive 48 hours of training, including laws of arrest, proper use of force, search and seizure, patrol procedures, report writing, courtroom procedures, etc.  They are trained on how to handle the many different incidents that they will encounter during the summer.

To contact an officer, you may call the dispatcher at (302) 227-1128 and leave a message if the officer is not working.  It is important to remember that the officer may be on his or her days off and may not return your call for several days.  You can also email the officer.  See our e-mail page for details.

We recruit our seasonal officers from local and regional colleges that offer criminal justice programs.  We also have personnel attend regional employment seminars / job fairs in search of applicants who are interested in law enforcement.  See our Employment page for details.

This may happen for a number of reasons.  Our officers work three days on and then are off duty for three days.  You should leave a message for the officer with the dispatcher or email the officer.  If you are unsuccessful, ask the dispatcher for the officer's supervisor and let them know you have been unable to get in touch with the officer.

Victims of reported incidents may request and obtain a copy of a crime report by contacting the Dewey Beach Police Department at (302) 227-1128 or by obtaining the report in person at the police department.

The Dewey Beach Police Department releases copies of motor vehicle accident reports only to insurance companies upon written request.  Insurance companies pay a $ 25.00 fee for these reports.

The best way is to speak with the officer that took your report.  Normally patrol officers investigate their own cases.

Normally, the officer who took the report from you is the investigating officer.

Seasonal officers are encouraged to make every attempt to close out all of their open cases before their departure date.  If necessary, the case will be turned over to a full-time officer to continue the investigation.

Under normal circumstances, the investigating officer will notify you of any important developments in your case.  We always encourage you to maintain in contact with the investigating officer during the process.  This ensures that you are kept up to date, and it also demonstrates your concern and interest to the investigator.

If your stolen property is recovered during an active investigation, you will be contacted by mail or by phone to make arrangements to have your property returned.  However, if your property is recovered much later after the case has been inactive, the only way you will be notified is if it can be traced back to you.  

For example, if your computer was recovered several months after you reported it stolen, the only way to determine that it was stolen would be for an officer to check the serial number through the National Crime Information Center computer.  If it comes back stolen, then you will be notified.  It is critically important that you record the serial numbers of your property in a safe place immediately after its purchase.  It is also important to engrave it with your driver's license number and State.  Without either of these two numbers, the chances of recovering your property are slim at best.

The Violent Crimes Compensation Board has been established to assist those innocent victims of crime who sustain personal injury (bodily harm or extreme mental suffering).  They can be reached at 1 (800) 890-0045.  The Board, on a limited basis, may compensate victims of violent crimes for some property loss or damage.  You may be eligible for financial assistance if:

a.  You are an innocent victim of a violent crime.

b.  You cooperate with the law enforcement agencies in the apprehension, and prosecution of the assailant.

c.  You did not contribute to the infliction of your injuries.

For other Statewide Assistance Resources click here.   http://www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/executive/404Error.shtml