Mayor John Carney, Chief Wilfredo Campos Announce Start of 105th Wilmington Police Academy

WILMINGTON - Wilmington Mayor John Carney and Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos announced the start of the 105th Wilmington Police Academy. Beginning this morning, the 19 recruits who completed the comprehensive application and selection process will embark upon the department's rigorous training program.

This academy class is the largest since 2021 - when the 100^th Wilmington Police Academy graduated with 19 new police officers - and is nearly double the size of our most recent class.

The members of the academy class were selected from among the 213 men and women who applied to join the Wilmington Police Department - a significant increase in the number of applicants from the past several academies. In addition to the 19 future Wilmington Police officers in the class, two recruits from the Smyrna Police Department will also be participating in the training program.

"This new academy class reflects the diversity of our city, and they bring perspectives that will strengthen connections between our officers and the communities they serve," said Mayor John Carney. "Our police officers are essential to the success of ongoing public safety efforts, and I look forward to officially welcoming this class to the City."

The Mayor and Chief congratulated the recruits on their selection following a lengthy application process, which included a written exam, physical ability test, interview panels including a Chief's interview, and psychological and medical evaluations.

"I am proud to welcome these new recruits to our Wilmington Police Department family and thank them for answering the call to serve our community and to dedicate their careers to public safety and public service," said Chief Campos. "With this class being the largest of the past five academies, I would also like to acknowledge and applaud the hard work and dedication of our Human Resources Division and recruitment team to help work with prospective applicants and to share details about career opportunities with our agency."

The recruits will begin each morning at 5:30 a.m. with two hours of physical fitness, followed by eight hours of classroom time. In addition to studying Delaware criminal and traffic law, patrol functions and procedural justice, all recruits receive training in de-escalation and crisis intervention tactics. The Academy is scheduled to conclude with graduation in February 2026.

"We are proud of our department's Police Academy, and of the detailed curriculum that helps to prepare each recruit fora successful career in policing," said Chief Campos. "This includes topics like community engagement, de-escalation, legal matters, investigative techniques and so much more - and each of our academy graduates will complete this training fully prepared to help carry out the crime strategies that have brought about significant reductions in crime in Wilmington."

As with past recruitment processes, members of the WPD Human Resources Division used a variety of means to share information about the process and encourage applications. That included members of the recruitment team attending career fairs and other programs at high schools, colleges - including Historically Black Colleges and Universities - and visiting community centers to promote the department and to share information with those who might be interested in a career in law enforcement. Recruitment teams also worked with the faith community and other community-based organizations to promote the application process.

To learn more about the Wilmington Police Department's hiring process, and to contact a recruiter about future hiring processes, click here .

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