On November 30, 2021, at about 2106 hours, Newark Police responded to the parking lot of the Colonial Gardens Apartments in the 300 block of East Main Street for a report of a possible motor vehicle crash.  An additional caller to 911 reported that there may have been a gunshot fired.

Arriving officers did not locate any vehicle, however broken glass and blood was located at the scene.

A short time later, an area hospital notified Newark Police that a male suffering from a gunshot wound was brought to the hospital by private vehicle.  The male victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder.  The shooting reportedly occurred in the parking lot of the Colonial Gardens Apartments.  The male was treated for a non-life threatening injury and was later released.

Newark Police Detectives were notified and assumed the investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Det. P. Keld at (302) 366-7100 x. 3106 or pkeld@newark.de.us.  Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page, where reward information may also be available.

On December 6, 2021, a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will start to examine all aspects of the Newark Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

The Newark Police Department was initially accredited in 1997 and is now undergoing its ninth re-accreditation.  At its most recent re-accreditation in 2017, the Newark Police Department achieved Gold Standard with Excellence.  This designation is the highest award bestowed upon a police agency.

As part of the virtual on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. The session will be conducted virtually via the GoToMeeting platform. Those wishing to comment can send their request to CALEA@newark.de.us and will be sent the link for the meeting. Only one speaker will comment at a time.

If an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the Assessment Team, he or she may do so by telephone. The public may call (302) 366-7164 on Monday, December 6, 2021 starting at  1:00 p.m. Comments will be received by the Assessment Team.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Newark Police Department located at 220 South Main Street, Newark, DE 19711 or by contacting Corporal Brandon Walker, Newark Police Department Accreditation Manager, at (302) 366-7100 x 3460.

Anyone wishing to offer written comments about the Newark Police Department’s ability to comply with standards for accreditation may send them to:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.
13575 Heathcote Blvd.
Suite 320
Gainesville, VA, 20155.

The Newark Police Department has to comply with over 458 standards in order to gain law enforcement accredited status. The Newark Police Department has also entered initial accreditation for the Communications Division, which requires the Department to be in compliance with 207 standards.

The Program Manager from CALEA for the Newark Police Department is Mrs. Laura Saunders. The Assessment Team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from out-of-state police agencies.  The assessors will review written materials and interview individuals. The assigned assessors are:

LE Team Leader: Chief (ret.) Scott Cunningham, Kernersville, NC Police Department

LE Team Member: Ms. Jaclyn Lam, St. Louis County Police Department

Communication Team Leader: Ms. Jo-Anne Munroe, Virginia Beach, VA

Law Enforcement Accreditation is valid for four years and Communications Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), write to 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, VA, 20155; or call (703) 352-4225.