By Associated Press - Friday, April 13, 2018

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A Delaware city is debating whether it should remove a community center’s security guard to make the space more inviting.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports the cut would make the center rely on police patrols and an on-scene officer for security. But no one would check visitors with a metal detection wand, which some Wilmington City Council members found concerning considering the area’s high violent crime rate.

Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Kelley proposed the cut Wednesday at a budget hearing. Kelley says Mayor Mike Purzycki wants the center to be more welcoming. A decision on the matter was not apparent at the meeting.



The newspaper’s requests for new security plan details from Kelley and the mayor’s deputy chief of staff for policy and communications, John Rago, went unanswered.

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Information from: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., http://www.delawareonline.com

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