Wilmington Police Blotter

Wilmington police blotter records come from the Wilmington Police Department, the largest municipal force in Delaware. The department has 305 sworn officers and traces back to 1739. Incident reports, collision reports, and press releases all flow through the records unit at 300 North Walnut Street. Victims can pick up a report in person at no charge for the first copy. Non-victims have to use a subpoena or other legal route. This page walks through every Wilmington police blotter source and shows how to file a records request the right way.

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Wilmington Police Department Records Unit

The Wilmington Police Department records unit is the main source for any Wilmington police blotter request. The Wilmington address is 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Call (302) 576-3607 with questions. Staff handle incident reports, collision reports, and related filings. Chief Wilfredo Campos leads the force. He has 26 years of service with the department.

The Wilmington Police site lays out the department's crime reduction strategies. These include community policing, CompStat methodology, district integrity with the same officers on the same beats, intelligence-led policing through a Real Time Crime Center, Group Violence Intervention, NIBIN ballistic tracing, and a Crime Gun Intelligence Center run with the ATF.

Delaware Statistical Analysis Center Wilmington police blotter crime stats

Crime data from Wilmington flows into the annual Crime in Delaware report through the State Bureau of Identification. The Wilmington Supplement breaks out the city numbers each year. NIBRS data has been used since 2021.

Note: Wilmington police blotter reports are not subject to release under Delaware FOIA for non-victims, so plan the right legal path before you file.

How to Request a Wilmington Police Report

Victims of a crime can get an incident report at no charge for the first copy. Pick it up at the records window at 300 North Walnut Street. Bring a photo ID. Call ahead at (302) 576-3607 to check on the status of your file.

Collision reports work on a different track. The request has to come from someone listed on the report, their legal representative, or their insurance company. The fee is $20 per report. Serious injury and fatality reports cost $60. Send a written request to Wilmington Police Department, Attention: Records Unit, 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. Include a check or money order payable to the Wilmington Police Department and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Full steps live at wilmingtonde.gov.

Vehicle releases are no longer handled by the police department. The Department of Finance now handles every release.

Delaware FOIA and the Wilmington Police Blotter

Delaware's FOIA law sits in Title 29, Chapter 100, of the Delaware Code. Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(3), files compiled for criminal law enforcement are exempt. That exemption is why a Wilmington police blotter incident report cannot be released to a non-victim under FOIA. Agencies have 15 business days to reply under 29 Del. C. § 10003(h).

For items not tied to an active investigation, the city FOIA Coordinator can help. Use the State of Delaware FOIA Portal to pick the right public body and download the standard form. The ACLU of Delaware guide has a step-by-step walkthrough for first-time filers.

If the city denies a Wilmington police blotter request, you can file a petition with the Attorney General. Past opinions sit at attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/opinions. Recent opinions held that the Delaware State Police did not violate FOIA in several cases involving body-worn camera footage and CAD logs.

Wilmington Sex Offender Registry Info

The Delaware sex offender registry is run by the State Bureau of Identification. The Wilmington Police Department supports the state by handling local compliance and notifications. Legal authority comes from Title 11, sections 4120 and 4121, of the Delaware Code.

Delaware Sex Offender Registry Wilmington police blotter access

Only Tier II and Tier III offenders show on the public registry site. Tier I offenders do not appear on the public page. The WPD Drug, Organized Crime and Vice Division runs the local program. Detective James Tobin is the point of contact. Call (302) 576-3643 or email james.tobin@cj.state.de.us. Report bad info to the State Bureau of Identification at (302) 739-5882.

Wilmington Crime Statistics and Data

Wilmington crime stats come from the Statistical Analysis Center at the Delaware Criminal Justice Council. The center puts out a Wilmington Supplement each year that tracks offenses reported by the Wilmington Police Department and the Wilmington Fire Marshal.

Reports cover violent crimes like homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime tracks burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. Drug and narcotic offenses have their own category. Reports break out clearance rates, arrest data by age, race, and sex, and year-over-year comparisons. Pull the full reports at sac.delaware.gov.

The Wilmington police blotter feeds the city's quarterly and annual crime data. Serious crime in Delaware fell 20 percent from 2016 to 2020. Homicides rose 38 percent over the same span. The city's numbers drive much of the statewide trend.

Warrants, Court Records, and State Resources

Active warrants from Wilmington and the rest of the state live in the DELJIS public wanted persons file. You need a last name to search. First name helps narrow the list. The file holds more than 70,000 open warrants statewide.

Criminal court cases tied to a Wilmington police blotter arrest move through the Superior Court at 500 N. King Street. Pull case dockets at courts.delaware.gov/CourtConnect. Court of Common Pleas cases and Justice of the Peace cases also show up there.

For statewide police blotter items from the Delaware State Police, check dsp.delaware.gov/newsroom. The newsroom archive holds more than 770 pages of past releases. Tips to Delaware Crime Stoppers route through 1-800-TIP-3333.

Note: Under Delaware FOIA, a request itself can be treated as a public record, so keep personal details out of the form when possible.

Types of Wilmington Police Blotter Entries

The Wilmington police blotter covers a wide range of calls. Short-form entries list a date, a call type, and a block number. Long-form press releases add the full story with suspect names, charges, and quotes from the chief or a public information officer. Both count as blotter records.

Typical entries you will see from the Wilmington police blotter include:

Arrest reports with name, age, and charge codes
Robbery and burglary reports with block-level locations
Aggravated assault and shooting incidents
Drug seizure announcements with quantity and charges
Homicide investigation updates
Motor vehicle theft and larceny calls

The NIBIN ballistic tracing program and Crime Gun Intelligence Center feed into many gun-related blotter items. Firearm recoveries and test-fire results help the department tie cases together. The mission statement of the Wilmington Police Department sets the tone: "To work in partnership with our residents to make our communities safer through the delivery of professional law enforcement services and a comprehensive approach designed to meet the public safety needs of our City." That approach shapes how the department releases Wilmington police blotter items to the public and the press.