In Milton, greater police presence reducing crime
Pay raises. New vehicles. Reduced crime.
Those are among the enhancements Milton Police Department Chief Robert Longo has acquired since he arrived eight months ago.
Before Longo was hired in April, the Milton Police Department was without an active commander for nearly two years. Former Chief William Phillips took leave due to illness in August 2014 and officially retired the following year.
During that time, an ad hoc committee was considering disbanding the municipal force in favor of Delaware State Police to save town funds.
Those days are long gone.
“If you don't have a love for this job, people can see right through it,” Longo said. “We have in this department a servant's love. Our job is public service. Our mission here is to protect Milton, and we want to participate with the community to do that.”
Now the department is almost fully staffed, officers are enjoying competitive salaries and the force is increasing its presence in the community. Longo wants to initiate a citizens’ police academy and citizens’ patrol, and increase the department's community outreach events, especially in local schools.
“I am big on community policing,” the 53-year-old chief said. “You have to educate your community. They want to know what you're doing. They want to know where their tax dollars are going. And this is what we're doing.”
Longo said the department also has placed a new focus on traffic safety, increasing patrols that have resulted in a 61 percent increase in traffic tickets compared to 2015.
By working more closely with the community, Longo said the department has been able to home in on hot spots for drugs, traffic violations and other major crimes.
“If we know that we're having loud parties, disruptive people, moving violations, drug activity, we're going to focus on that area,” Longo said, pointing to a recent reduction in assaults, burglaries, thefts, weapons offenses and criminal mischief within town limits. “Eventually, that person supplying drugs isn't going to take the risk of coming into Milton because they know that there's more eyes out there.”
Longo said police responded to 48 assaults in 2015, but only 18 since the beginning of 2016. Domestic disputes have also dropped from 54 in 2015 to 20 in 2016.
Longo credits more cops on the street, and more cooperation and communication with residents and businesses, as the main reasons crime is down. He secured more than $35,000 in three state grants to help cover overtime costs for extended patrols of crime hot spots reported by Miltonians.
“When criminals know people are watching, you're a dumb criminal if you want to continue to violate the law,” he said. “The more eyes out there, the less likely people are to commit the crimes.”
Longo also has made a serious investment in the department's equipment, securing more than $100,000 in grants to purchase four vehicles – three Dodge Chargers and one Ford Explorer.
“Every vehicle we had had over 100,000 miles,” he said. Two of the vehicles were purchased brand new while the other two came from other agencies with about 40,000 miles on each.
By taking advantage of a $25,000 grant provided by Sussex County every year, Longo said he plans to replace one vehicle each year.
“If I can get a grant to buy a piece of equipment and save Milton taxpayer dollars, I'm going to do that,” he said.
Longo said he also is seeking state accreditation for the department, a recognition enjoyed by only five other law enforcement agencies in Delaware. While redoing the police policy manual isn't nearly as sexy as a new fleet of vehicles, it's another step he hopes will bolster the small department's efficacy.
“It shows that the officers have met these standards, which are basically standards of excellence that are outlined by the state accreditation commission,” he said. “It raises their level of professionalism and holds the individual officer in the entire department to a higher standard. I want us to be the best little town police force in America.”
Longo said the recent successes of his department all go back to community policing and the force's efforts to increase their presence in Milton.
“I want to have a pulse on the community,” Longo said. “I can't do this alone. We need to earn the respect of the community. I think we've done that with some of the community, but we still have a ways to go. This department is stepping up to the plate.”
Milton welcomes Xena, warrior police dog
Patrolman Christopher Whitehouse has always wanted a K-9 partner. Xena, an 18-month-old black Belgian Malinois, has helped him reach one of his major career goals.
“I love dogs. I love animals,” said Whitehouse, who grew up with a black Lab. “But it's different – it's really hard.”
The 26-year-old officer started with the Milton Police Department in September 2014 after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a criminal justice degree. But it wasn't until Chief Robert Longo joined the force that the department decided to get a second K-9 officer.
“I think it's a great resource for the town, and it's an opportunity for officers to grow in their career,” Longo said. “People might stand off a SWAT team, but they'll surrender to a dog.”
Whitehouse said while he's always wanted to be a K-9 handler, he didn't realize exactly how hard the job would be. It took four months of training before the department got Xena, followed by another 4-week course and regular refreshers.
“She knows how to do her job,” Whitehouse said. “It's about me learning how to handle her.”
Xena is trained for both narcotics detection and patrol, meaning she can sniff out anything from heroin and cocaine to several other drug and also assist officers with tracking and building searches.
She playfully inspects and chews anything within her reach – especially flags or towels, Whitehouse said – but when it's time to go to work, Xena is not messing around.
“She has a very high drive, and she's very protective of me,” Whitehouse said. “Not all police dogs are vicious, but they have a job to do. She is a police officer, too.”
Xena joined the department thanks to grant money and community donations, Whitehouse said. Normally, it costs thousands of dollars for a police dog and handler training, Longo said. A recent donation from Blue Heron Agility Dogs of Delaware has also helped defray the cost of a vest for the new K-9 officer.
“We're going to use her a lot for community policing. So far she's been a hit,” Whitehouse said.
Since Xena is so new to the job, she still has a lot of training to do. Whitehouse and his partner will focus on repetitive training as she tries to catch up with Finn, Milton's 9-year-old veteran K-9 officer, who also is a Belgian Malinois.
Whitehouse said with Milton's small force – the department currently has eight full-time officers – any additional help is welcome.
“It's a great deterrent to have a dog,” Whitehouse said. “She's going to benefit Milton with just her presence. She'll be a good asset.”
