DOVER, Del. — U.S. Senator Chris Coons hosted a roundtable discussion in Dover with police officials from around Delaware to explore how policing has evolved over the ten years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
“The attacks of 9/11 had a profound impact on the role of law enforcement in our communities and the way the federal government interacts with local police departments,” Senator Coons said. “Officers in every community are on the front line of a global effort to keep our families safe and secure but it’s not just about buying new hardware or having the latest high-end technology. Post-9/11 policing is about deep community engagement and stronger regional preparedness — especially in Delaware, where many of the most significant potential targets that would seriously impact our state are located just outside our borders. There is a lot other states can gain from the lessons Delaware’s law enforcement community has learned these last 10 years, which is why I hosted this discussion today.”
Senator Coons led an hour-long discussion with 15 leaders in local law enforcement on the challenges and opportunities police forces have faced since the terror attacks of 9/11. The Senator also revealed to the officers that next month he would announce the formation of a new bipartisan Senate Law Enforcement Caucus to provide additional leadership in the Senate on the issues important to America’s police officers.
This was the second time Senator Coons brought Delaware’s law enforcement community together since taking office 10 months ago. In June, Senator Coons chaired a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in Wilmington to study-information sharing among federal and local law enforcement agencies. The hearing, titled “Building Safer Communities: the Importance of Effective Federal-Local Collaboration in Law Enforcement,” looked at Delaware’s unique success in information-sharing across its law enforcement agencies and the role it has played in reducing and preventing crime.
Regional preparedness, with an emphasis on intra-agency communication, played a substantial role in Friday’s roundtable, which included the following participants:
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