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What’s New

State selling myths about gas vehicles

From: Cape Gazette

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A Delaware agency is preparing a regulation to require auto manufacturers to sell only electric-powered vehicles. EVs now account for less than 1% of new vehicle sales. This is an effective ban on cars and trucks powered by gasoline. The state is selling this to the public with a series of myths highlighted below. 

EVs will end motor vehicle air pollution. Conventional vehicles have already reduced two pollutants 83% and 91%, respectively, and will continue to fall rapidly as older vehicles leave the fleet.  Delaware meets all air pollution standards. We have clean air. Much of our electricity comes from coal- and natural gas-powered plants. Line losses waste 11% of that power, and another 10% is lost converting from AC current to DC current to charge the batteries. Many studies show EVs cradle-to-grave emissions are higher as minerals used in 1,000-pound batteries require moving 150,000 pounds of dirt and rock. In the end, very little carbon dioxide is saved, if any. 

EVs will save on fuel cost. Most EV charging is done overnight at home at lower rates, but as more EVs hit the road, special rates will end. EVs currently don’t pay taxes for road repairs. New taxes are coming based on miles driven using intrusive devices to track driving. Massive investments needed in electricity infrastructure to support charging will drive electric rates up.  

EVs will be price competitive. There are nine vehicle models available both as conventional and EV options. The average price premium for the EVs is $14,000. Federal legislation provided $7,500 per EV subsidies and many auto manufacturers raised vehicle prices by about that amount. Caution should be shown in buying a used EV. GM’s list price for a replacement battery at eight years or 1000,000 miles is $16,250 plus $870 to install it. 

The proposed regulation is not a ban on gasoline-powered vehicles. Once the 100% EV requirement goes into effect, you will not be allowed to register a new gasoline-powered vehicle in Delaware. That’s a ban. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is forcing the new regulation based on regional pollution violations. New Castle County is included in a greater Philadelphia non-attainment region.  However, the county and the 10 next closest upwind air quality monitoring stations now meet all air quality standards, proving the county is not contributing to upwind pollution. Delaware is now in a position to petition to be removed from the non-attainment region. Doing so reduces the stringency for new air quality permits and is considered and economic development advantage.

An underlying question is if all these myths are true, why is a government mandate even needed? Won’t people flock to buy EVs? Anyone who wants to buy an EV should be able to, but without government-enforced subsidies or mandates. See our public comments to the state on the proposed regulation for detailed sources at tinyurl.com/5n6mdp6a.

David T. Stevenson
Director, Center for Energy & Environment
Caesar Rodney Institute

Governor Carney Releases Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board Report

From: Delaware.gov 

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday released the sixth annual report of the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board. Governor Carney established GEAR by Executive Order #4 in February 2017 to identify ways for state government to operate more efficiently, improve the delivery of state services, and provide cost savings.

The report highlights key accomplishments and ongoing efforts across state government in 2022, including:

  • Development of continuous improvement professionals within state government is expanding.  Fifty-two practitioners from fifteen state organizations are executing projects within a portfolio of one hundred twenty-five initiatives. Savings to the state are estimated to total $61-65 million over the life of projects underway.
  • Savings and improvements for taxpayers are being achieved through lease restructurings, refined state vehicle (FLEET) utilization, long-term care delivery optimization, scanning/self-check equipment in Delaware’s libraries, the development of trauma informed care practices for children and families, automated state park fee collection, along with streamlined financial, human resource and information technology systems.
  • Reviewing capital project processes within public school systems remains a priority through the EdGEAR (Education-GEAR) team with a comprehensive review of all parts of this process currently underway.
  • Driving improvements to digital government services allowing citizens to access and transact with the state anytime, from anywhere, and on any device.
  • Continuing the GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency and Trailblazer Award programs that rewards state employees who demonstrate successful implementations of innovative, cost saving, and service enhancing continuous improvement projects.
  • Reimagining State Service Center delivery in Delaware which will improve how citizens apply for benefits such as food assistance, cash benefits, healthcare, and housing.
  • Expanding high-speed, broadband internet service in Delaware’s underserved areas through public-private partnerships.

“As the GEAR Board performs its valuable role and we continue to train employees across the State, our state government is finding ways to save taxpayer money and foster a culture of continuous improvement.” said Governor Carney. “GEAR’s efforts to improve data-driven decision making are exactly what we need to generate service improvements and communicate the value of savings that are being achieved for Delawareans.”

The Board’s report, released each December, also provides policy and budgetary recommendations for possible inclusion in the Governor’s agenda and budget for Fiscal Year 2024.  Governor Carney’s budget proposal will be released on January 26, 2023.

Recommendations in the 2022 report include:

  • Support the Ready in Six permitting improvement initiative by investing in recommendations for specific process improvements being gathered through a survey distributed to over 1,500 industry focused partners.
  • Expand participation in the Continuous Improvement Practitioner (CIP) Training program and a new project and process leadership training path by increasing funding for the First State Quality Improvement Fund (FSQIF).  Support recommended amendments to the FSQIF modernizing language to reflect current best practices and GEAR’s role.
  • Identify and implement changes in the state personnel system by establishing job classifications for “project managers” and “Lean business process analysts” in partnership with the Department of Human Resources.
  • Support investments to procure and use best practice project portfolio management and business process management tools.  The use of common tools facilitates collaboration across the enterprise, avoids duplication of effort, increases the precision of estimating quantifiable outcomes, and improves the efficiency of the state’s business processes.

“The ability to quantify outcomes is as important as the development of the skills applied to delivering efficiencies,” said Charles Clark and Daniel Madrid, Executive Director and Deputy Director of GEAR respectively, and Bryan Sullivan, Director of Management Efficiency at the Delaware Office of Management and Budget. “The Enterprise Services Delivery and GEAR Field teams represent fifteen state organizations that are delivering value through the execution of numerous projects aimed at achieving cost savings, estimated to total $61-65 million over the life of projects underway.”

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Delaware’s jobless rate up slightly to 4.4%

From: Delaware Business Now 

Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in November was 4.4%, up from 4.3% in October 2022, the Delaware Department of Labor reported.

There were 21,800 unemployed Delawareans in November 2022 compared to 23,900 in November 2021. The US unemployment rate was 3.7% in November 2022, unchanged from October 2022. In November 2021, the US unemployment rate was 4.2%, while Delaware’s rate was 4.8%.

Delaware has one of the highest jobless rates. It was tied for the 46th spot (See the chart below, which lists the jobless rate and the national ranking.

State
Utah
2.2 1
Minnesota 2.3 2
North Dakota 2.3 2
South Dakota 2.4 4
Nebraska 2.5 5
Vermont 2.5 5
Florida 2.6 7
New Hampshire 2.6 7
Alabama 2.7 9
Missouri 2.7 9
Kansas 2.8 11
Virginia 2.8 11
Montana 2.9 13
Georgia 3.0 14
Idaho 3.0 14
Indiana 3.0 14
Iowa 3.1 17
Hawaii 3.3 18
Louisiana 3.3 18
South Carolina 3.3 18
Wisconsin 3.3 18
Massachusetts 3.4 22
New Jersey 3.4 22
Oklahoma 3.4 22
Colorado 3.5 25
Tennessee 3.5 25
Rhode Island 3.6 27
Wyoming 3.6 27
Arkansas 3.7 29
Maine 3.7 29
Mississippi 3.9 31
North Carolina 3.9 31
Kentucky 4.0 33
Pennsylvania 4.0 33
Texas 4.0 33
Washington 4.0 33
Arizona 4.1 37
California 4.1 37
New Mexico 4.1 37
West Virginia 4.1 37
Connecticut 4.2 41
Ohio 4.2 41
Maryland 4.3 43
Michigan 4.3 43
New York 4.3 43
Delaware 4.4 46
Oregon 4.4 46
Alaska 4.5 48
District of Columbia 4.6 49
Illinois 4.7 50
Nevada 4.9 5
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

In November 2022, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment was 462,600, down from 463,500 in October 2022. Since November 2021, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have increased by ,800, an increase of 2.2%. Nationally, jobs during that period increased 3.2%.

While total employment in Delaware is up by 9,800 from a year ago, the state did see a loss of 1,700 jobs in hospitality in November. Still, jobs in that category were up by 3,200 over the previous year.

 

Delaware Population Consortium approves 2022 projections, but questions about accuracy remain

From: Delaware Public Media

Delaware’s Population Consortium approved the state’s 2022 population projections Thursday – projections that counties, municipalities and school districts are required to use for planning and budgeting purposes.

This year’s projections — both for 2022 and for the coming decades — pose several challenges for city governments and the state as a whole.

UD’s Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research projects a dramatic shift in the ratio of working-age adults to seniors in Delaware over the next three decades.

Center Director Ed Ratledge says the number of new births appears on track to remain flat for the foreseeable future, while the population over the age of 65 is vastly outpacing both births and in-migration of working-age people.

“The population from 0 to19, which is where your new labor force is going to come from, is going to grow by 4,000 from 2020 to 2050,” he said. “At the same time, the over-65 crowd grows by almost 90,000.”

Overall, UD researchers expect the state’s population to begin declining by 2050, with only slow growth in the intervening decades. In-migration is the key driver of Delaware’s population growth, but that migration is disproportionately concentrated in Sussex County and includes retirees.

But some at Thursday’s Consortium meeting were skeptical about the accuracy of local-level population estimates from the 2021 American Community Survey.

Newark Acting Director of Planning and Development Renee Bensley questioned data suggesting Newark’s population has slightly declined since 2020.

“If you look at the specific census tracks, the ones that had the most severe drops were the ones with concentrations of student housing – and where we’ve been building denser student housing,” she said. “Not only was that additional density not counted, but it suggested a decrease, which is not reflective of our reality on the ground.”

Bensley says Newark may conduct a supplemental census in 2023 to double-check the most recent population data, which she said may be necessary to ensure Newark receives its fair share of state resources.

“Our City Manager in particular is very concerned about the fact that since these are used to determine the distribution of street funding money, we could see a pretty severe percentage drop that isn’t reflective of an actual drop in our population,” she said.

Consortium members previously identified apparent population declines in Sussex County municipalities like Georgetown as potential survey errors.

Delaware sees second record month of overdose deaths in 2022

From: Delaware Public Media

Delaware’s overdose crisis reached a new peak in November with a record 43 deaths, surpassing a previous high set in May of this year.

376 people have died of drug overdoses in Delaware in 2022 — 18 percent higher than in the same period in 2021, which saw 515 people die by the end of the year. Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Joanna Champney says historical overdose data gives her agency reason to worry that deaths may continue to trend upwards in the coming months.

“The month of December, for the past three years, is always higher than the preceding month of November,” she said. “So seeing a spike in November has us concerned about what may be coming down the pike next month.”

Roughly half of last month’s deaths occurred in New Castle County, where needle exchange workers say unusually strong free samples – likely containing high concentrations of fentanyl – offered to drug users in November may have played a role in some deaths.

Champney says her agency received similar reports, and notes while it can be helpful to alert healthcare providers and law enforcement of drug supply changes, warning users poses an ethical challenge.

“One of the challenges is – and it’s the same challenge with fentanyl test strips – that some people are seeking those substances,” she said. “We have to balance that when we’re telling people there’s a new, particularly potent drug out there.”

Champney adds her agency will attempt to increase its distribution of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, including with more door-to-door visits in communities hardest-hit by the crisis. And with health conditions associated with drug use – including sores and infections – taking an increasing toll on users, Champney says her department is looking into deploying nurses or other medical professionals to offer more mobile treatment options.

Meanwhile, DSAMH is also preparing for the launch of an overdose response center next month to identify localized overdose hotspots for faster and more targeted outreach.

So far, the state’s response to the opioid crisis has centered largely on distributing basic harm reduction supplies and providing referrals to treatment options — namely Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), which relies on less potent opioids like methadone or opioid antagonists to treat dependency — through outreach teams or drop-in centers. The state is also investing in expanded residential treatment capacity.

It’s Open Enrollment Season for ‘School Choice’

From: Caesar Rodney Institute 

A January 2022 national survey conducted by National School Choice found that nearly 70% of parents support school choice (31% “strongly support and 38% “somewhat support”). These parents also said they have considered sending one of their children to a new or different school. Options abound nationwide including school choice vouchers, scholarships, tax credits and charter schools.

While “school choice” has become a hot topic across the country, many parents in Delaware are unaware that “school choice” is an option here.

DELAWARE ‘SCHOOL CHOICE’ PROGRAM

The 2022 open enrollment School Choice dates are November 7, 2022, through January 11, 2023. During this time, Delaware parents can apply to have their child attend a new school – either within the same school district, another district, or a charter school. Parents can access the online application and instructions by visiting SchoolChoiceDE.org.

The board of every school district and every charter school has until November 30th to notify the Delaware Department of Education of its capacity to accept new students. Parents can find this information by visiting https://www.schoolchoicede.org/.

Each district and each charter is required, no later than October 31st, to hold at least one public information session about choice opportunities for the coming year. Unfortunately, these sessions are frequently not well advertised, and parents are often unaware of them.

Parents are responsible for transporting their children directly to their “choice” school or taking them to the nearest bus stop location. Transportation has been an obstacle that caused many parents not to take advantage of the school choice program. Low-income families could find this a hardship because they may not own a car or have a flexible work schedule.

Currently, to assist in transportation to school, the state of Delaware allows middle and high school students to obtain a free DART bus pass for transport to their school. However, with the DART bus system, all the routes end up in the city of Wilmington and do not take the students directly to their schools. Students often must take two buses before arriving at school, which is frequently not a practical option. 

 The free DART bus pass is available to all students in the state, not just those attending a district or charter school. The bus pass may also be used to transport a student to a Catholic or private school. In fact, some students who live in Dover take DART to attend a Catholic school in North Wilmington. This is a two-hour ride and requires a bus change in Wilmington, but the families and students have decided that the long commute is worth it.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE DELAWARE’S SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM

  • Provide Transportation:  The Delaware School Choice program should include transportation costs for the student to attend their “choice” school or at least cover the transportation costs to be transported to the nearest bus stop, as was the law in the past. Doing this would make the program much more feasible and equitable for low-income families.

If the state doesn’t have a budget for transportation, another option would be to have one of the non-profits in the state whose goal is to improve the education system provide transportation to students participating in school choice.

  • User-friendly Webpage:  One of the most crucial aspects of a School Choice program is providing parents with information about how various schools perform on standardized tests. It is essential to provide an easy-to-use website where parents can find the test scores for the district and charter schools their child is considering.

U.S. News and World Report has a website that ranks the various high schools in Delaware, but it is not based solely on the statewide Smarter Balanced test. Instead, it includes information on how many students take or pass AP or IB tests and how many students graduate. The site also doesn’t include elementary and middle schools. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/delaware

The Delaware Department of Education’s website currently provides access to the test results of the statewide Smarter Balanced assessment for each school; however, it is not user-friendly for parents to view (broken down by topic, grade, race, sex, and special needs). There is no place where a parent can easily see a school’s overall performance in math or reading. Without this information, they cannot decide which school is best for their child.

  • Improve Awareness for School Choice:  Finally, information on the procedures required to participate in school choice should be publicized on the websites of the school districts and the Delaware Department of Education, as well as through phone calls and emails to parents within a district. Public service announcements on local radio stations or information provided through newspaper and newsletter articles like this one should inform families of the school choice option and the timetable involved.
Author’s Notes:

Before applying for school choice, a student must be registered in their feeder school. To find your feeder school, go to https://arcgis.doe.k12.de.us/school_locator/ 

To find out the availability of public or charter schools near you, go to: https://www.schoolchoicede.org/ChoiceApplications.aspx

New survey examines workforce needs of Delaware business owners

From: Delaware Public Media

In an effort to bolster employment in the First State, the Delaware Workforce Development Board released the results from its recent survey of state employers.

The survey was commissioned by the Board to help various programs and initiatives aiming to increase the number of Delawareans possessing the job skills that employers need.

This week, our Joe Irizarry spoke with Joanna Staib – Executive Director of the Delaware Workforce Development Board – to learn more about the survey and its findings.

Delaware Public Media’s Joe Irizarry talks with Joanna Staib of the Delaware Workforce Development Board about the Board’s recent survey of state business owners.
The Delaware Workforce Development Board releases results from a recent survey of state employers to help improve Delaware’s workforce.

The Delaware Workforce Development Board wanted to focus on the needs of Delaware businesses in the post-COVID world where it seems there are more job openings than individuals.

The survey findings include that there are a lot of openings for those without a college degree, and those with a high school diploma or GED can enter the workforce more easily than in the past.

Delaware Workforce Development executive director Joanna Staib says another major takeaway is the number of businesses hiring those coming out of the criminal justice system.

“The amount of businesses that said that they do hire individuals that come out of the criminal justice system. So that was about 46% of the overall businesses that we surveyed said that they do hire individuals with a criminal background, and that number actually increased when we looked at the business size. So those businesses that had two to 10 employees that number went up to 55%,” said Staib.

Meanwhile, Staib says when businesses were asked what technical skills are lacking, they offered a surprising response.

“The top four out of five were like Microsoft Excel, Word, data analyst, and then just computer literacy overall,” said Staib. “I was thinking we’d get engineering or nursing, or whatever it was in their particular industry. But they came up with that digital literacy piece.”

She notes her group’s goal is transitioning individuals receiving services and training and placing them for a job.

Many Del. districts don’t evaluate superintendents annually

From: Delaware Live

Even though the job of superintendent of education is one of the most powerful in a school district, many Delaware districts don’t perform annual reviews of theirs.

“Some boards have a formal review, and some don’t,” said Donald Patton, board member of Christina School District. He was a teacher and principal for decades before being elected in May.

“How do you hire someone in your top position, the only person that you hire as a board member, and there’s no evaluation being done until the contract is up?” he asks.

Advocacy group First State Educate is learning that annual performance evaluations for school districts are not common.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars, learning outcomes where they are, and incredibly challenging teaching conditions means the stakes are very high for quality and sustainability, “says Laurisa Schutt, executive director. “Evaluations can be collaborative learning tools that focus us on our top strategic priorities. Without feedback, it’s hard to know where we are and how we are progressing. “

Two of the primary duties of school boards is selecting and supervising the district superintendent.

“School board members do not have to be experts in any one area, but they need to be able to ask the right questions and acquire information essential to making good choices,” says the National School Board Association website. “Finances, curriculum and testing, strategic planning, state and federal legal requirements, and evaluating the superintendent’s performance are some of the demands on modern school boards.”

Why evaluate the superintendent?

The average salary for superintendents in America is well into the six figures, with some making more than $200,000, according to a study from the School Superintendents Association.

“We’re paying all this money for the superintendent, and we give him raises that are not tied into anything, he just gets to raise,” Patton said. “Raises should be tied into success and progress and If it’s not, then why are we automatically rewarding them?”

Christina’s school board is now deciding the best instrument to use to evaluate its superintendent, Dan Shelton.

In late September, Dr. John Marrinuci, executive director of the Delaware School Boards Association, presented a new review process to the board. It had been created by a different district’s board member as part of her doctoral dissertation.

The proposed review would evaluate a superintendent’s ability to meet expectations in vision and goals; teaching and learning; professional responsibilities; superintendent’s goal; and people, systems, and operations.

Naveed Baqir, who serves on the Christina board with Patton, said the agendas of school board members change partly because the members themselves change over the years. That may be one reason many districts don’t have a formal annual review.

Some board members may use annual evaluations to express their frustrations that their own agendas are not thriving, Baqir said.

A board member also may think the superintendent is meeting his or her requirements but wants something more out of the district as a whole.

“That’s where that constant update is required,” he said. “That’s why most school districts, especially when there’s a major change in the board membership, end up in a situation where they want a new evaluation tool.”

Even if a district does have some performance review, its board members won’t always agree on what to include, as the case with Christina.

Some of its members have asked for more specific metrics such as student achievement and test scores, rather than simply checking a “meets expectations” or “does not meet expectations” box.

Baqir points out that if every district had a formal, end-of-the-year superintendent evaluation, they would need to make it unique and reflective of the needs and goals of a particular district.

“We always lobby for flexible evaluation tools for students, because every kid has a different set of capabilities,” Baqir said. “So if you measure every student with the same yardstick, every single aspect of their personality and development, that is not going to be fair to all children.”

The same goes for superintendents, he said.

In Colonial School District, the superintendent is formally reviewed whenever his/her contract is up. Contracts for superintendents are typically one to five years, Menzer said.

However, there is still feedback given to Superintendent Jeff Menzer every year.

“Every December and January, regardless of whether or not you’re due up for renewal as superintendent, the board, during executive session, reviews the superintendent’s performance,” Menzer said, “and they just share feedback and observations with myself in terms of what they expect and want to see moving forward with me as the leader.”

Still, Menzer said the relationship and communication between him and the district school board results in clear expectations.

“I’m the board’s loan employee. I work for them,” Menzer said. “They do not manage and control anything in the district except for me, and when there’s a problem or concern with my performance, they address it with me directly.”

While there isn’t a specific worksheet or checklist in Colonial, Menzer says establishing expectations each year and checking in with the board during Winter has the same outcomes that a formal review would.

“So while it’s not formal between me and the board, it’s expected that I’m performing at a level that they deem appropriate,” he said. “They let me know when there’s something I need to address, or handle based on my performance.”

 

 

 

Enrollment in state charters went up 5.1% during pandemic

From: Town Square Live 

Over the course of the pandemic, enrollment in Delaware charter schools increased 5.10%, while traditional public schools’ student body dropped 1.14%.

That’s according to a report published in November by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. It found that traditional public schools lost students in nearly every state.

The First State’s traditional public schools lost 1,423 students from 2019 to 2022, according to the report.

“We weren’t surprised to see that,” said Kendall Massett, executive director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network.

Delaware charters generally are limited to a specific number of students when the state approves them.

During the past three years, Massett pointed out, several charter schools in the state, such as Odyssey and Newark charters, were granted expansions.

“Those charters had already had a waitlist, and that never went away, so they gained students once their expansion request was granted,” she said.

In fall 2020, another charter, Sussex Montessori School, opened its doors, which Massett said led to additional students leaving district schools for the charter alternative.

Not all charter schools are so lucky. Great Oaks Charter School, which has a lot of underprivileged students, saw its enrollment drop for many reasons and is now waiting for the state to say whether it will have to close.

Every year of the pandemic, Delaware’s charter school enrollment has gone up.

There are 18,223 students who go to charters, a little over 12% of the public-school population, according to Massett.

But Massett doesn’t believe charter schools are the main actors in attracting students away from traditional public schools.

“We also saw private school numbers go up, and homeschool numbers go up,” she said, citing enrollment spikes in Saint Mark’s High School and Wilmington Friends School.

Saint Mark’s recently announced an $8 million capital fundraising campaign as part of their efforts to expand.

It came just months after Newark Charter completed its 21-year expansion by unveiling its $20 million junior high school.

Right now, Odyssey Charter School has a $2 million capital campaign.

“Let me be clear, parents choosing to put their children in whatever school environment they choose to do is their right,” Massett said. “I also believe that we have to do better as a state in terms of getting information about schools, charter or not, to the community.”

Delaware’s Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Delaware’s Theft Epidemic: A Silent Economic Killer

 By: Kathleen Rutherford, Executive Director

Crime—burglary, robbery, vandalism, shoplifting, employee theft, and fraud—costs businesses billions of dollars each year. Crime can be particularly devastating to small businesses, who lose both customers and employees when crime and fear claim a neighborhood. When small businesses are victims of crime, they often react by changing their hours of operation, raising their prices to cover their losses, relocating outside the community, or simply closing. Fear of crime isolates businesses, much like fear isolates individuals—and this isolation increases vulnerability to crime.

The success of small businesses in Delaware is vital to a vibrant economy. Small businesses serve the needs of the overall workforce, and any detrimental impacts on small business will affect the economy and consumers. Taxes and regulations are the most obvious issues that impact our businesses, but crime is a significant factor that is often overlooked.

Property crime includes theft, shoplifting, and motor vehicle theft. Every year in Delaware since 2015, the rate of property crime per 100,000 residents was higher than the national average. In 2019 the property crime rate for Delaware was 2.35 per 100,000 residents, while the national rate was 2.1.  When businesses and/or families consider relocating, the “perception” of crime is as important as the actual crime rate. Theft, which includes shoplifting is the most reported property crime in Delaware, accounting for 78% of all major non-violent crimes in the state in 2020.

For businesses, burglary, theft, and shoplifting are of primary significance. Nationally, commercial burglaries in 2019 accounted for 32% of all burglaries reported. In 2019, Shoplifting accounted for 6,016 of the 18,085 thefts reported in Delaware. Shoplifting is a major contributor to the crime problem for businesses. While Delaware law enforcement is performing above the national averages of clearance rates, we remain at a higher rate of property crimes than the nation.

The most efficient way to reduce the crime rate is to prevent it from occurring. Burglary is a preventable crime in most cases. Alarm systems and surveillance equipment are optimal, but “good old fashioned” security is still important. Many burglars have told arresting police officers that they always chose a target that was easier to enter than others in the area. If doors are locked with adequate locking devices, windows secured properly, and a commercial space is visible from outside, burglars will often seek a different target.

Motor vehicle thefts have decreased over the years as built-in security systems have become more common in vehicles. Unfortunately, many people continue to leave their cars unlocked, leading to theft of the car itself, or items inside the car. It is a common practice for thieves to walk down residential streets or through parking lots and enter unlocked vehicles to steal items from inside.

Shoplifting has been a scourge for businesses for many years, and a crime that shows no signs of eradication. There are organized groups of criminals who participate in planned shoplifting operations. Many police agencies today assign officers specifically to units that focus on organized criminal shoplifting groups. The National Retail Federation reports that retail crime is costing businesses more than $700,000.00 for every $1 billion dollars in sales.

The AG’s office, law enforcement and industry organizations working together to educate business owners and employees on prevention techniques by:

  • Restoring the Pre-Pandemic dedicated retail crime unit within the state police, assigned to exclusively to work on organized retail crime (ORC).
  • Ensuring the legislated dedicated Attorney General retail prosecutor is named and assigned workload exclusive to organized retail crime. At monthly in-person meeting with industry businesses, must discuss actions, results, and recommendations to reduce retail crime.
  • Re-establish the monthly in-person meeting with businesses loss prevention, attorney general retail prosecutor, state police ORC task force, court calendar administrator, chambers, and industry groups.
  • Further develop and coordinate technology for mass communication between retailers and detectives for rapid response.
  • Communicate effective enforcement of civil recovery judgments by the courts and collection agencies to offset retailers cost of theft.
  • Holding an annual loss prevention conference including national and regional loss prevention professionals, members of the public, legislators, and other impacted groups with a publicly available annual report of crime issues facing Delaware businesses.

Industry experts attribute the continued rate of shoplifting offenses to reduced staffing at businesses. Michael Quaranta, President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, has said “with fewer eyes on would be thieves, that’s only served to embolden those intent on shoplifting”. Quaranta suggested that secured product displays and technology are increasingly depended upon to prevent or detect shoplifting. Fear of violence against employees has also resulted in some businesses adopting policies prohibiting employees from confronting suspected thieves. With the realities facing Delaware, we must double-down on our efforts to communicate and coordinate with all stakeholders.