Full Notification

Wilmington Mayor John Carney and Police Chief Wilfredo Campos announced the completion of the 105th Wilmington Police Academy, which began in September. A ceremony was held last night at P.S. duPont Middle School and included family, friends and supporters of the 16 new Wilmington Police officers, who will begin their new assignments with the Uniformed Services Division on Monday.
 
The addition of these new police officers brings the total number of officers on the police force, which has an authorized strength – or budgeted police officer positions – of 305 members, to just under 290. In January, the department closed the application process and is in the process of selecting recruits for the 106th Wilmington Police Academy, which is due to begin in July.
 
“This is a proud moment for our city and for the families who supported these recruits every step of the way. I want to congratulate each graduate of the 105th Wilmington Police Academy for their hard work and perseverance," said Mayor Carney. "By choosing to serve Wilmington, you are making a commitment to protect and build trust within our community. I look forward to the great work of our newest officers, and I'm confident they will represent our city with professionalism and compassion.”
 
The new Wilmington Police officers are Jazzmen Brokenbrough; Luis Collazo; Aidan Fisher; Brandon Gasque; Matthew Johnson; Tajinder Kaila; Kanyan Kear; Anthanasios Kourkoutas; Eugene Richardson; Mathew Rodriguez; Cameren Romero-Wright; Lexus Small; Noah Tuohey;
Waverly Wobschall; Taimour Zaman; and Bartek Zarzecki.
 
The new officers will each be assigned to work with a more senior police officer who will serve as their field training officer for at least six months to develop experience on patrol.
 
Chief Campos applauded the recruits for their accomplishments, and spoke about the training they have received in each of the layered crime strategies that have been adopted by the Wilmington Police Department.
 
“As the dedicated men and women of the Wilmington Police Department continue to work tirelessly to make our city safer – and have brought about sustained reductions in crime – I am honored to welcome these newest officers to our WPD family,” said Chief Campos. “We are grateful that these recruits answered the call to serve our community, and we look forward to supporting their successful careers in law enforcement in Delaware’s largest city.”
 
Also among the graduates are two recruits from the Smyrna Police Department – Matthew Hawkins and Jason McNatt.
 
“The Smyrna Police Department is grateful and thankful for Chief Campos and his staff for allowing our recruit Police officers to train at the Wilmington Police Academy,” said Smyrna Police Chief Brian M. Donner. “An officer’s initial training is the building block for their career. It is our priority to find the absolute best training environment for our new officers and we believe that we have found that with the Wilmington Police Academy. Throughout the entire training process, our recruits and staff have been treated like partners and colleagues, and we look forward to a continuing mutually beneficial partnership with the Wilmington Police Department.”
 
Chief Campos also acknowledge the leadership of Major Andrea Janvier, Captain Matthew Rosaio and the staff in the WPD Human Resources Division, for their continued success in increasing the diversity of the department through attracting applicants and recruits with a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. He also highlighted some of the most critical elements of the recruits’ training – surrounding procedural justice, law enforcement legitimacy, cultural diversity, and de-escalation.
 
“I continue to be proud of the dedication of our command staff and Human Resources Division team, as well as everyone who is part of our year-round recruitment and training efforts,” said Chief Campos. “This academy has been the largest for our agency in years, and the continued increase in applications to join our department reflects not only the success our department has had, but our team’s work to recruit prospective future officers.”
 
Several graduates also received recognition for extraordinary accomplishments during the 105th Police Academy. Jason McNatt received the Physical Fitness Award; Matthew Hawkins received the Academic Excellence Award; Aidan Fisher received the Attorney General’s Award; Noah Tuohey received the Top Marksmanship Award and the Wilmington Retired Police Meritorious Award; and Waverly Wobschall received the Chief’s Trophy.
 
Patrolwoman Amanda Grieco, who graduated from the 104th Wilmington Police Academy, received the Leonard Kittner Award at yesterday’s ceremony, which recognizes the outstanding body of work on the part of a police officer who graduated from the previous academy class.