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URL: https://policescorecard.org/de

⇱ Police Scorecard: Delaware


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We obtained data on 45 Police Depts in the state of Delaware.

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Scorecard at a Glance

Average for 4 Sections: 46%

Scores range from 0-100% comparing states with population. States with higher scores spend less on policing, use less force, are more likely to hold officers accountable and make fewer arrests for low-level offenses.

Worse
50th Percentile
Better
Police Funding:  32%
Police Budget Cost per Person
Misconduct Settlements
Fines/Forfeitures
Police Presence/Over-Policing (Officers per Population)
Police Violence:  66%
Force Used per Arrest
Deadly Force per Arrest
Unarmed Victims of Deadly Force per Arrest
Racial Disparities in Deadly Force
Worse
50th Percentile
Better
Police Accountability:  27%
Misconduct Complaints Upheld
Excessive Force Complaints Upheld
Discrimination Complaints Upheld
Criminal Misconduct Complaints Upheld
Approach to Law Enforcement:  59%
Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses
Homicides Solved
Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests
Jail Incarceration Rate
Jail Deaths per 1,000

Key Findings

28 Killings by Police

Based on population, a Black person was 3.7x as likely and a Latinx person was 0.6x as likely to be killed by police as a White person in Delaware from 2013-23.

591 civilian complaints of police misconduct

16% were ruled in favor of civilians from 2016-22.

332,419 arrests made

N/A of all arrests were for low-level, non-violent offenses from 2013-23.

Police Funding i

Section Score: 32% +2%

Police Funding By Year

$390.88M  |  949,495 Residents  |  $467 per Resident

More Police Funding per Capita than 77% of States

Source: US Census Bureau

Funds taken from communities in fines and forfeitures

Total: $404.07M from 2010-20

More Fines/Forfeitures than 46% of States

Source: US Census Bureau

Number of officers per 1k population

2,280 Officers  |  28.7 per 10k Residents

More Officers per Population than 92% of States

Source: Federal LEOKA Database

Police violence i

Section Score: 66% +23%

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Less-Lethal Force

Used More Force per Arrest than N/A of States

210 Incidents  |  25 every 10k arrests  |  +47%

No Data Found Add Data

Source: Police Department

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Deadly Force

28 Killings by Police from 2013-23  |  0.8 every 10k arrests

^  More Killings by Police per Arrest than 25% of States   

Source: Mapping Police Violence

Deadly Force by Armed Status

11% Unarmed  |  43% Did Not Allegedly Have a Gun

Unarmed Other Alleged Gun Vehicle
11%
7%
57%
25%

^  More Unarmed People Killed per Arrest than 15% of States   

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Police Violence by Race

Black Latinx N.Am API Other White

Population of Delaware

21%
9%
62%

Delaware Law Enforcement Demographics

People Arrested

48%
7%
43%

People Killed

50%
7%
39%

^  More Racial Disparities in Deadly Force than 47% of States   

Source: Uniform Crime Report, Mapping Police Violence, LEMAS

Police Accountability i

Section Score: 27% -22%

Total civilian complaints

591 from 2016-22  |  16% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Complaints Not Sustained Complaints Sustained

Use of Force Complaints

34 Reported  |  0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Complaints of Police Discrimination

4 Reported  |  0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Complaints Reported Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Alleged Crimes Committed by Police

0 Complaints Reported

Approach to Law Enforcement i

Section Score: 59% -16%

Source: Uniform Crime Report

Arrests By Year

332,419 Arrests Reported from 2013-2023

Low Level Arrests Other Arrests
More Info

Arrests for Low Level Offenses

N/A Arrests  |  N/A per 1k residents

No Data Found Add Data

Disparities in Arrests for Low Level Offenses by Race/Ethnicity

Black people were 2.6x more likely and Latinx people were 1.2x more likely to be arrested for low level, non-violent offenses than a white person.

Black Latinx White

Percent of total arrests by type

All Arrests for Low Level Offenses ( N/A )

Drug Possession ( 10% )

Violent Crime ( N/A )

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Homicides Unsolved

526 Homicides from 2013-23  |  285 Unsolved

^  Solved Fewer Homicides than 14% of States   

Percent of Homicides Unsolved by Race

Homicides of Black Victims Unsolved ( 39% )

Homicides of Latinx Victims Unsolved ( 28% )

Homicides of White Victims Unsolved ( 13% )

Source: MAP/Supplementary Homicide Report

Delaware Statewide Scores

Rankings are based upon a 0 to 100 percentage scale. States with higher scores use less force, make fewer arrests for low level offenses, solve murder cases more often, hold officers more accountable and spend less on policing overall.

Overall Scores for States where We Have Obtained the Most Data.

👁 Grade Scale
Tap "show more" to see extended list

0-29% 30-59% 60-69% 70-79% 80-89% 90-100% Incomplete
Statewide Score 5YR
2. Wilmington 33% +5%
1. New Castle County 57% +3%
* Dewey Beach 29%
* Milford 33% +7%
* Newport 33% -4%
* Rehoboth Beach 33% +11%
* Bethany Beach 36% +6%
* Fenwick Island 37% +9%
* Dover 38% +36%
* Houston 39%
* Lewes 41% +9%
* South Bethany 41% +12%
* Laurel 41% +8%
* Ocean View 41% +9%
* New Castle 42% -5%
* Seaford 42%
* Ellendale 43% -1%
* Millsboro 44% +8%
* Newark 44% -5%
* Greenwood 44% +8%
* North Bowers Beach 44% +1%
* Magnolia 45% -3%
Statewide Score 5YR
* Bethel 45%
* Selbyville 45% +8%
* Brookside 45% +6%
* Kenton 45% +6%
* Wyoming 46% +2%
* Smyrna 46% +12%
* Dagsboro 46% +5%
* Felton 47% +7%
* Milton 48% +3%
* Camden 48% +5%
* Little Creek 48% -3%
* Harrington 48% +8%
* Delmar 49% +5%
* Elsmere 49%
* Georgetown 50% +3%
* Delaware City 51% -6%
* Bridgeville 51% +12%
* Cheswold 52% -1%
* Clayton 53% +8%
* Middletown 54% -3%
* Frankford 55% -3%
* Frederica Frederica 57% +8%
* Blades 58% -1%

* An asterisk indicates this location did not publish enough data to evaluate. Click below to add data to the Scorecard.

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About This Scorecard

This is the first nationwide evaluation of policing in the United States. It was built using data from state and federal databases, public records requests to local police departments, and media reports. While police data is never perfect, and there are additional indicators that still need to be tracked, the Police Scorecard is designed to provide insight into many important issues in policing.

Police Scorecard is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, learn more about our team here. If you have feedback, questions about the project, or need support with an advocacy campaign, contact our Founder, Samuel Sinyangwe.

methodology Source Data

Use this Scorecard to identify issues within police departments that require the most urgent interventions and hold officials accountable for implementing solutions. For example, cities with higher rates of low level arrests could benefit most from solutions that create alternatives to policing and arrest for these offenses. In cities where police make fewer arrests overall but use more force when making arrests, communities could benefit significantly from policies designed to hold police accountable for excessive force. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints.

Here's how to start pushing for change

  • Contact your State's Governor and Attorney General, share your scorecard with them and urge them to enact policies to address the issues you've identified:
  • Look up your state and federal representatives below, then tell them to take action to hold police accountable in your community.
    Find Elected Officials

What's Next

Step 1: COMPLETED

👁 Step 1

Obtain data on 100 California cities. Refine methodology in response to feedback from communities, researchers and local officials.

Step 2: COMPLETED

👁 Step 2

Expand to every major law enforcement agency in America and include additional indicators such as police budgets and jail incarceration.

Step 3: IN PROGRESS

👁 Step 3

Inform data-driven solutions nationwide. Update as new federal, state and local data are collected. Track progress and hold cities accountable to results.

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