After officer's death, Delmar police increases staff. Now 'capable of protecting the town'
Delmar Police Cpl. Keith Heacook was the only officer on duty when he responded alone to a call that led to his murder. Over two years later, Delmar has five more officers than it did in 2021.
“They’re in a place now that they are capable of protecting the town,” said Teamsters Local 326 Treasurer/Secretary Paul Thornburg.
Heacook was viciously beaten at a home on Buckingham Drive in Yorkshire Estates the morning of April 25, 2021. He died in the hospital a few days later.
Earlier this month, a judge found 30-year-old Randon Wilkerson guilty of his murder. He’ll be sentenced in December.
After Heacook's death, the community wanted to know why he responded to the call alone. It's not an uncommon occurrence in rural police departments, according to a U.S. Department of Justice study.
“He did what we do. Somebody needs help, you go,” said Delmar Police Chief Ivan Barkley. “It’s not the smartest thing sometimes, and I know we’ve had a lot of time to reflect upon that and to make adjustments in staffing.”
In April 2021, Delmar had funds for 14 officers, but only 10 on staff and only six working patrol, according to Barkley. The department now has 15 total officers on staff and three training to join the force.
More: 'He was a great kid': Delmar mourns death of 16-year-old Carter Figgs at funeral
“I think this was an eye-opener for everybody. I think we realized that time for talking was done and we needed to get down to business,” Barkley said.
It wasn't just the funding. At a time when police recruitment was (and remains) incredibly tough, in 2021, Delmar’s starting salary for a police officer was about $41,000 per year - the lowest in the county. Today, that number is over $46,000, according to Barkley. The new officers were obtained through “hard work,” Barkley said, and support from elected officials.
“We relied on community leaders reaching out to individuals they knew who they thought were of good character” to recruit, he said.
Delmar police were also helped by a new law that allowed its officers to unionize. Prior to Heacook’s death, that was prevented by a geographic technicality.
Delmar is unique in that it straddles two states. The Maryland side amended its charter to allow police to organize and collectively bargain in 2009. Delmar police last attempted to unionize on the Delaware side in 2017, when they took their request to the Delaware Public Employment Relations Board.
The Delaware council opposed the petition, in part, because it wasn’t the exclusive employer of the officers, as required by the state's Police Officers' and Firefighters' Employment Act. The board agreed and the attempt to unionize was denied three weeks before Heacook's death.
Background: New bill could allow Delmar police to unionize following death of Cpl. Keith Heacook
A few months later, a bunch of northern Delaware legislators, as well as Pete Schwartzkopf, a Rehoboth Beach Democrat, passed a law that added language to the act to clarify it applies to the town of Delmar.
Delmar police salaries “are still in the bottom third” in Sussex, according to Thornburg, but they are about to go into negotiations to change that.
“It’s gotta happen, otherwise it’s back to the vicious cycle of not being able to hire anybody,” he said. “That’s why Heacook was alone that night. They weren’t paying enough.”
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delmar police numbers up. Cpl. Keith Heacook death was 'an eye-opener'
