DOVER, DE- The Dover Police Department has launched a new initiative aimed at improving the quality of life for all residents by providing support and resources to those in need.
The Quality of Life Initiative focuses on enhancing public safety and addressing key issues such as homelessness, mental health, and substance use. Special attention will be given to individuals facing these challenges.
For the past several months, the Dover Police Department has been working on a plan to make the streets safer. On Tuesday, they officially launched the Quality of Life Initiative.
Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson told us that he and the department believe this initiative will benefit the entire community.
He emphasized that the initiative strikes a balance between improving public safety through law enforcement and addressing mental health and support services for those in need.
“Our goal is to provide support and resources to individuals while making the community safer for everyone. We are going to bring a balanced approach — a balanced initiative. We are going to meet people where they are, and we will assess the situations as we see them.”
With rising concerns about homelessness and mental health, the initiative is timely. It expands on the ongoing support already provided by the Dover Police Department.
Watara Heath, who works in the Dover Police Department's Behavioral Health Unit, says that while the department has long provided support services to individuals in need, this initiative—through added partnerships and agencies—has expanded their ability to offer better help to more people.
“We were doing it. I think now we have more people — outside agencies involved — that are aware of what we are doing, so we are getting more assistance, more support from the community, versus us just trying to do it on our own. Because this is bigger than us.”
Heath added that the additional support provided by this new initiative is crucial in helping individuals navigate the available resources.
“Just that added support — us being first responders and helping them kind of transition and being in the know — we want to make sure everyone is informed and aware of what’s available. We help assist with different resources to help them maneuver and guide them through the path of what they need.”
While the initiative is in its early stages, Chief Johnson believes its long-term impact will be significant.
“The quality of life improves — the environment improves, business does better, homeowners are more confident, property values go up, the city does better, and now you have more capacity to build up the support that you need to make sure that the problem doesn’t recur to the degree that we are discovering it does now.”
The initiative is an ongoing effort, with no set end date. However, we are told that performance evaluations will be conducted to monitor its success.
