Dewey Beach Adds Officers In Light Of First Homicide - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

Dewey Beach, Del. - Monday, June 18th is a day the town of Dewey Beach will not forget, 26 year-old Danielle Mehlman was found stabbed to death at the Atlantic Oceanside Motel. The suspect in the slaying, Pawan Kumar was found dead the next day at a New Jersey motel.

"Great deal of team work on all fronts,"  says Dewey Beach Mayor Diane Hanson.  Town officials and residents gathered Saturday as result of the recent murder to discuss some of the resolutions to prevent future violence.

"But we found the money to add supplemental officers,"  says Sam Mackert, Dewey Beach Police. Dewey Police will increase their patrol officers from 20 to 26 over the next two weeks covering the fourth of July holiday as well.

"It will give us the opportunity to send more police officers back in the neighborhoods where now since were a little understaffed we focus mainly on the common district," says Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, Dewey Beach Police.

 At Saturday's meeting, residents voiced their opinions on the recent violence and offered compliments to police while others are concerned for character of the town."Every year we've been getting, more and more into dangerous people, people who  are looking for fights as opposed to a good time," says Rick Judge, Dewey Beach Resident.

"We have an excellent police force doing an outstanding job, I appreciate the additional resources that they put on the streets," says Claire Walsh, Dewey Beach Resident. Since the town of Dewey Beach incorporated back in 1981, there had not been a single homicide until the Mehlman case, residents hope with increased patrols it will be the last.