Milton should maintain its police department

An adhoc committee in Milton recently discussed disbanding the town police department and relying instead on state police.

Town officials quickly pointed out the committee was not charged with debating that idea, and there has been no indication town council plans to take it up.

Still, if a town committee is considering it, others in town may have the same idea.

There is no doubt a municipal police force is an expensive proposition for a small town, especially Milton, where the budget is tight and revenues barely keep up with expenses. Relatively low police pay means it’s difficult to attract new officers, and once trained, officers are easily enticed to take better-paying jobs elsewhere.

Still, the violence that erupted in Milton last week – an early morning shooting that left one man dead and a teen paralyzed – is a stark reminder that small-town police presence plays a critical role.

It was a Milton police officer who was first on the scene of the terrible shooting at Park Royal Apartments in the middle of Milton.

It was the same officer who rendered aid and communicated with the injured teen, which led to identification of a suspect and a subsequent arrest.

Without that quick Milton police response, it is possible that instead of state police making an arrest, this shooting would have become an unsolved double homicide, leaving the people of Milton to worry whether anyone in the town is safe.

Police presence will not by itself stop crime. Still, last week’s shooting offers evidence this is not the time for Milton to scale back police presence.

Instead, Milton officials should continue to make every effort to maintain the force, taking advantage of every grant and subsidy available.

Beyond that, state lawmakers should take note: Delaware’s small towns now experience big-city problems like never before.

To turn the tide on these problems will require not just continued police presence, but investing in education, jobs and better access to health and mental health services for all of Delaware.