Patrol
Captain Melissa Hukill

In 2003 Troop 2 was dedicated to the rapidly growing Bear/Glasgow community. It is the largest and one of the busiest troops in the state and is home base for over 140 troopers and civilian employees. Troop 2 operates as a fully functioning patrol facility and as a New Castle County wide Criminal Investigations Unit. Troop 2 also provides a satellite office for the State Bureau of Identification and a community room which serves as a venue for numerous events and meetings conducted by civic groups and community organizations.

In 2008, Troop 2 patrol personnel included an average of 45 uniformed troopers, three administrators, and three civilian staff members, one cadet and one student intern. Troop 2 patrol personnel with the assistance of communication center personnel managed 38,587 calls for service in 2008. Troop 2 patrol troopers increased their productivity and made significantly more criminal arrest and traffic arrest per trooper.

During the past year, Troop 2 patrol operations were very productive. A proactive approach to addressing citizen’s fear of crime and safety concerns, and a focus on addressing quality of life issues were at the forefront.

In 2008, Troop 2 crime fighting and crime prevention efforts resulted in a 25 percent increase in per trooper arrest rates. There was also a slight increase in Part A Crimes in 2008, this was preceded by two years of overall crime reduction. Troop 2 patrol troopers averaged 477 complaints, per trooper. In addition to the heavy complaint load, troopers averaged individually 82 criminal arrests and a combined Troop total of 3,678 criminal arrests.

Troop 2 crime enforcement efforts were coordinated by Lieutenant Timothy Lamarche. Troop 2 patrol personnel increased our focus on quality of life concerns, and continued to focus on homeland security and crime prevention. In 2008 Troop 2 patrol worked in conjunction with the intelligence unit and conducted several gang initiatives in the Troop 2 patrol area. In an effort to address the Troop 2 communities’ quality of life concerns patrol troopers in addition to their daily duties increased their focus on quality of life concerns such as prostitution, loitering, and trespassing. Patrol troopers also assisted the Criminal Investigative Unit with several prostitution initiatives resulting in several hundred arrests of local prostitutes and their clients.

In June 2008 Troop 2 enhanced the Two-Trooper Criminal Car Initiative (TTCCI). During the period from June- December the Troop (TTCCI) two troopers were assigned full time to the unit. This enabled the assigned troopers to increase their community presence and their focus and familiarity with targeted areas on a daily basis. Their enforcement efforts were phenomenal. During this period the (TTCCI) handled a total of 273 complaints resulting in a total of 773 criminal charges. The unit also seized $20,364.00 in U.S. Currency and made numerous drug, and local fugitive arrest.

The TTCCI continues to provide the foundation for Troop 2’s partnership with the Attorney General’s Office in the enforcement of the Nuisance Abatement Law. The objective of this initiative is to hold locations and businesses accountable for their actions and conduct that foster criminal activity that deteriorates the quality of life for our citizens.

The troop traffic enforcement and daily directed patrols were coordinated by Lieutenant Paul Taylor who retired in August 2008 after more than 30 years of dedicated service. His initiatives were continued by Sgt. Joseph Spagnolo. Our traffic enforcement efforts have had a significant impact in making our highways safer. By actively focusing on collision reduction and traffic enforcement Troop 2 Troopers actively targeted aggressive drivers, dangerous moving violations and Drunk Driving violators. Troopers also participated in a host of public safety and enforcement initiatives sponsored in partnership with the Office of Highway Safety. Troopers conducted numerous seatbelt, DUI and safety checkpoints during this period.

As result of our collective traffic enforcement efforts, traffic fatalities were reduced by 8% from 2007. In addition, alcohol related accidents decreased by 13% and alcohol related injury accidents decreased by 28%. In 2008, total collisions decreased by 9%. Troop 2 patrol troopers increased per Trooper traffic arrest rates by 10 percent. Troopers averaged 383 traffic arrests per Trooper and combined for a total of 19,992 traffic arrests. Troop 2 Troopers also led the entire state averaging 16 DUI per trooper for a total of 770 DUI arrests.

Troop 2 personnel also continue to participate in many community based programs. Troopers supported programs such as the Special Olympics’ Torch Run and Pigskin Pass, and the Law Enforcement Memorial Run. Several Troop 2 troopers also attend Special Olympics events. The troopers interacted with the participants and presented their medals.

In May 2008, Troop 2 hosted its Annual Public Safety Awareness Open House. As in the past, this occasion was a cooperative effort with the Delaware State Police, Christiana Fire Company, Middletown Fire Company and the Aetna Fire Company. This successful endeavor provided the public with an opportunity to view the many Delaware State Police special units and to tour Troop 2, the Division’s state-of- the-art facility. The Fire services also provided fire safety awareness and demonstrated emergency response techniques.

In December 2008, Troop 2 hosted an eight week Citizens’ Police Academy. The attendees were educated about the responsibilities and tasks of a trooper. On December 17, 2008 twenty-four citizens graduated from the academy with a new and unique perspective about the Delaware State Police.

There were many exemplary performances by members of Troop 2 during 2008. Corporal/2 Suzanne Lowman received the Troop 2 Traffic Ace Award for her tireless work ethic in the area of traffic accident investigation and traffic enforcement. Corporal Christian Hevelow and Trooper First Class Jason Russo received the Crime Fighters of the year award for their proactive enforcement and their relentless efforts to enforce quality of life concerns. Corporal/1 Patrick Wenk was recognized as the Troop DUI Ace for the third year in a row for his concerted efforts to combat drunk drivers. Corporal/1 Wenk has lead the entire state in DUI arrest for the last three years. In 2008 he amassed 97 DUI arrests. Corporal Anthony Tenebuso was named Troop 2 Trooper of the Year. His commitment to service and his work ethic in all areas of enforcement was truly outstanding.

Several other troop personnel were also recommended for Departmental awards for their outstanding performance, distinguished acts of courage and heroic life saving efforts.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Troop 2 supervisors and personnel, 2008 proved to be a productive and successful year. Troop 2 personnel remain committed to serving the residents and visitors to the state while placing emphasis on building and maintaining lasting relationships and partnerships.

Criminal Investigative Unit
Captain John Evans

In 2008, the Troop-2 Criminal Investigative Unit (CIU) was under the command of Captain Robert Coupe, assisted by Lieutenants Jason Sapp and James T. Hulings.

CIU is comprised of over 70 Troopers who operate in New Castle County to support the four patrol troops (Troops 1, 2, 6 and 9), specifically in the area of criminal investigations. CIU has the investigative responsibility for everything from quality-of-life issues that affect our citizens to any serious criminal offenses that occur in New Castle County.

CIU detectives are selected both for their skills as investigators and their motivation to solve crimes. They are assigned to specialized investigative units designed to maximize their effectiveness in their area of expertise. These units include Robbery, Property Crimes, Financial Crimes, Major Crimes, Polygraph, Youth Aid, Evidence Detection and Drugs. In addition, CIU investigators participate full-time in several task forces with federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Three additional units who are not so easily defined are The Governor’s Task Force (GTF), the Career Criminal Unit (CCU) and the School Resource Officers (SROs). GTF is a unit comprised of DSP Troopers and officers from Delaware Probation and Parole. Their combined efforts focus on offenders who are on probation and violating conditions of their release from prison through continued criminal activity. CCU has a similar mission; however they focus on repeat offenders who are often involved in some type of organized crime or pattern-type crime. Lastly, twenty-one SROs are assigned full-time to specific high schools or middle schools in New Castle County. They also work closely with detectives from the Youth Aid Unit to cover over sixty additional schools in the county.

The Drug Unit and GTF often-times work on hot spots to minimize street-level drug dealing and crime. In 2008, combined, these two units seized 3,013 grams of cocaine, 90.0 grams of crack cocaine, 93.44 grams of heroin, 239 lbs. of marijuana and a large assortment of other drugs. In addition, they seized 48 firearms, made 1,294 criminal arrests and apprehended 54 fugitives.

In March of 2008, the Delaware State Police named the 2007 Trooper of the Year. Detective Mary L. Bartkowski was awarded this honor for her extraordinary performance during that year. As an investigator assigned to the Major Crimes Unit in CIU, she (along with her unit members) solved a college campus shooting, an abandoned child case that was tied to a murder investigation in a neighboring state, and a serial rapist investigation with over a dozen separate victims.

In closing, CIU serves as a well-trained and productive investigative arm of the Division. The unit continues to operate under the belief that teamwork is the key to success. The primary focus remains on the quality of the investigations through the utilization of all available resources to accomplish the goal of solving crimes. Investigators assigned to CIU also act as resources themselves and are immediately available to assist other DSP units and colleagues in other law enforcement agencies should the need arise. The demanding work conducted by these investigators is pivotal to the effectiveness of the Division in serving the public.

- Information obtained from 2008 DSP Annual Report -