MILLSBORO, Del. - As Millsboro continues to grow, town leaders are expanding the leadership structure within the police department in an effort to keep pace with increasing demands while supporting officer wellness.
The Millsboro Town Council approved the addition of two sergeant positions this week, a move Police Chief David Moyer said is designed to strengthen supervision within the department rather than increase its overall size.
The new positions will be filled through promotions from within the department and will not require additional officer hires.
"Growth always creates challenges for police departments," Moyer said.
The approval comes as the department nears a staffing milestone. In March, Moyer said the department had 20 of its 21 officer positions filled, the closest it has come to full staffing during his tenure.
As more people move to Millsboro, Moyer said the demands on officers continue to evolve, making strong leadership increasingly important.
"We see a lot of burnout in law enforcement," Moyer said. "If you have one supervisor managing multiple shifts and multiple people, and then also going out and handling complaints, some terrible complaints, it's human nature to become burned out on this."
Moyer said adding supervisors will help ensure officers receive the guidance, mentoring and support they need while reducing strain on existing leadership.
Moyer says having one sergeant before they had the responsibility of supervising and mentoring as many as eight or nine officers.
"This makes it a more manageable team in the sense that you have one sergeant and then three individuals underneath him that he can really hone in and develop those skills," said Moyer.
Lt. Zubrowski, who was promoted from sergeant earlier this year, said the additional positions will help spread responsibilities more evenly among supervisors.
"Right now we have two. But that to those two sergeants oversee two different shifts," said Zubrowski. "So now that means more phone calls during the night, being woken up during any kind of rest period that you have, being on vacation and getting phone calls. So when you add those two extra sergeants in and have full staff, it should alleviate a lot of extra unnecessary stress."
Police leaders say the move is part of a broader effort to prepare the department for future growth while maintaining officer wellness and public safety.
Zubrowski described the sergeant role as one of the most demanding positions in the department and said adding two more supervisors will help prevent burnout and provide additional support for officers for their mental health.
