Wilmington police report 11% drop in shootings but homicides rise to 25 in 2024

Chief Wilfredo Campos of the Wilmington Police Department told the City of Wilmington Public Safety Committee on Feb. 10 that the department’s 2024 year-end report shows an 11% reduction in shooting incidents and a 21% reduction in overall Part I crimes, while homicides increased to 25 for the year.

The reductions include 81 shooting incidents in 2024, down from 91 in 2023; Campos said the 81 shootings are the third-lowest total in the past 20 years. He told the committee that of the 25 homicides, 17 were by gunfire, two were stabbings and six were from assaults or strangulations. The department reported 23 arrests tied to the 2024 homicide total and said aggregate homicide clearance for the year was about 96% when including arrests in prior-year cases.

The department provided a breakdown of motives it has identified: roughly a quarter of shooting incidents were tied to group violence, about 7% to narcotics or robberies, and roughly 8% were domestic or altercation-related; the motive for the remaining incidents was “under investigation,” Campos said. He described a continuing trend away from group-related violence toward more isolated incidents.

Campos also described programs the department launched or continued in 2024. He said the Partners in Care co-responder program — a team that includes a case manager and two trained mental‑health clinicians — began in March to respond jointly to calls involving mental-health or substance‑use concerns. He described ongoing community engagement activities including “Learn to Ride,” youth academies with the Fire Department, monthly resource fairs and weekly outreach walks.

Council members pressed the chief on staffing and recruitment. Campos told council the department is about 26 sworn officers short of authorized strength and that the last two police‑academy classes had unusually small graduations (six and seven officers). He said 15 candidates were in the current hiring process and expressed optimism about future classes but warned attrition is high: he reported losing about 19 officers in the past year to other agencies and noted recent transfers to New Castle County and Newark departments.

Councilman T. Campos (Councilman Hackett) and Councilman Spadola both praised community outreach; Spadola suggested adoption of a take‑home car program to improve retention, and Campos said discussions with the administration will be needed. Councilmember Bracey asked about exit interviews; Campos said compensation, benefits, take‑home vehicles and signing bonuses offered by other departments were common reasons officers left.

The committee chair, Councilwoman Yolanda McCoy, thanked the chief and asked for follow‑up data at a future meeting. Campos said the department publishes its policy manual online and that the department continues to push proactive public releases about major incidents and arrests.

Ending: Committee members asked for additional data on recruitment outcomes and on the Partners in Care program; the chief agreed to provide more detailed information at a future meeting.