Lewes Police Foundation raises funds for law enforcement

For the first time since 1962, National Police Week will not have a physical presence on the streets of Washington, D.C.

Locally, the Police Unity Tour will not make its annual trek across the Delaware Bay aboard the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and through town on the way to the nation’s capital.

Still, the Lewes Police Foundation wants to ensure local police officers are recognized during National Police Week, May 10-16.

The foundation was formed about a year ago to raise money to support the police department, through community outreach and funding unbudgeted items.

“Whether it’s a pandemic or a hurricane, you can count on them; they’ll be there,” said Daniel DeSimone, a retired FBI special agent who formed the group with Jonathan Cherry, a retired Secret Service agent.

With the COVID-19 pandemic sure to significantly affect Lewes City Council’s budget this year, DeSimone said the police foundation is a great resource to ensure the police department has funds for training and unfunded equipment or accessories.

The foundation has raised about $6,500 from community organizations and individual donations from Lewes-area residents.

Over the last year, the foundation has provided funding to bring officials from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund to Lewes with their state-of-the-art use-of-force simulator, allowing elected officials and selected members of the community to experience a few minutes in the shoes of a police officer during a tense situation.

The foundation also contributed to the annual National Night Out event in August, which brings the community together with local law enforcement and first responders for a night of food, entertainment and camaraderie.

“What we stand for is education, training and bringing the police and community together,” DeSimone said.

All donated funds are spent on the police department with oversight by Chief Tom Spell and members of mayor and city council.

DeSimone said the foundation is not a slush fund for the department.

As for this year’s annual recognition of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty across the country, a virtual ceremony will be held. A total of 307 names will be added to the memorial in Washington, D.C., comprising line-of-duty fatalities and those officers who died as part of a September 11, 2001 contracted illness.

The memorial includes more than 20,000 names, including Georgetown officer Chad Spicer, who died in the line of duty in 2009.

In Lewes, a plaque in Zwaanendael Park honors Charles. W. Futcher Sr., who died in the line of duty in 1939.

To donate to the Lewes Police Foundation, go to https://greaterlewesfoundation.org/contribute.