Wilmington’s new Police Chief Robert Tracy’s been on the job for a few months now, and in the past few weeks has held community listening sessions around the city.
Tracy came to Wilmington by way of Chicago, and previously New York.
He says he’s happy with former chief Bobby Cummings’s division of city policing boundaries – and wants officers to stay consistent with the areas they patrol.
According to data tracked by the News Journal, 22 individuals have died from gunshots since January. That’s more than were killed by this time last year, and the year before.
But Tracy insists that it takes time to implement long-term policing changes, like the COMPSTAT method. He says William Bratton piloted it in 1994 for the New York Police Department while he worked there, and adds it'll provide a more comprehensive accountability system for the Wilmington Police Department.
“And I was fortunate enough to be in that organization for a lot of years – 10 years before 1994, and almost 15 years after that," Tracy said. "So seeing those successes and what that can bring to an organization was tremendous and you see the results the NYPD has since that time – and how one of the biggest cities in America is one of the safest cities in America.”
COMPSTAT involves weekly crime control strategy meetings, and has also been adopted by other city police departments in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
In April, Tracy’s also talked of piloting a “call in” program to better connect those at risk of committing crimes with community resources. He’s planning to send Inspector Cecilia Ashe to a training for the program in coming months.
