New leaders take the helm on all Troop 7 shifts

Delaware State Police has new shift commanders for each of the four shifts at Troop 7 on Route 1 in Lewes. Additionally, the Collision Reconstruction Unit for Sussex County, which is housed at Troop 7, is under new leadership.

Sgt. Jon Wood, who commands A Shift, became a Delaware state trooper in 1995, after leaving a municipal police agency in Maryland to attend the Delaware State Police Training Academy. He initially worked patrol at Troop 3 in Camden and later transferred into the Domestic Violence Unit housed at that troop.

A year after that he joined the team of detectives at Troop 3’s Major Crimes Unit, where he investigated rapes, child abuse and robberies. Wood is a member of the Conflict Management Team.

Sgt. Frank Fuscellaro, B Shift commander, holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a bachelor of arts degree in adminstration of justice, both from Rutgers University. The 1999 graduate of the Delaware State Police Training Academy also graduated from Hazardous Device School in Alabama, where he earned national certification for ordnance disposal.

Fuscellaro served as a seasonal patrol officer at Avalon Police Department in New Jersey during his college years and as a patrol officer at Wildwood Crest Police Department the year before he moved to Delaware. The veteran trooper has served as a patrol officer at Troop 4 and on the Governor’s Task Force. He is currently a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and is the officer in charge of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team.

Sgt. Gerald Windish, who began his career at Troop 7, has returned as commander of C Shift. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Duquesne University and graduated from the state police academy in 2000. After serving as a patrol officer for several years who earned awards and honors for exceptional performance and for his work taking impaired drivers off the street, he transferred to Troop 4, where he served as a detective in the Property Crimes Unit.

Prior to joining the state police, he worked for the Newark Police Department and the Delaware Department of Correction, where he was a probation and parole officer. He serves as an instructor at the training academy and is a member of the Special Operations Response Team.

Sgt. Ryan Mitchell, D Shift commander, is a Sussex County native who graduated from Delaware Technical & Community College with an associate’s degree in criminal justice and from Wilmington University with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science. Prior to being hired as a state trooper and attending the training academy, he served as a seasonal officer at Rehoboth Beach Police Department.

He has served as a patrol officer and assistant shift commander at Troop 7, and he has served as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Unit at Troop 4, where he also spent time as an assistant unit commander. Mitchell has been an evaluating member of the oral board staff that reviews applicants for state trooper positions, and he also did background investigations on applicants for the Human Resources Section located at headquarters.

Sgt. Michael O. Nichols is a 20-year veteran trooper who recently assumed the role as commander of the Collision Reconstruction Unit. Nichols holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wesley College, a master’s degree in administration from Wilmington University and a master of science degree in human resource management from Wilmington University.

He has 12 years of experience as a patrol officer investigating traffic matters and crime, and he has three years as a crime-scene evidence technician. He is a member of the Honor Guard, Critical Incident Stress Management Team and Tactical Control Unit, and he is a trooper recruiter. He is an experienced crash investigator and crash-reconstruction expert. Nichols has conducted background investigations for prospective troopers, administered tests for recruits and taught a wide range of courses within the division and at external academic facilities. He is active in numerous professional and community organizations.