Dover Town Council to Propose Police, Fire Overhaul

Mayor James Dodd outlines claims against Police Chief Jonathan Delaney on the Dover website. Watch tonight's virtual meeting.

Tonight's Dover Town Council meeting will feature the first reading of an ordinance to reform the Police and Fire departments as the Department of Public Safety.

Many Dover residents were concerned about tonight's town council meeting regarding the resolution of the $33 million 2025 budget that includes hikes in municipal and school district taxes.

A deeper dive into the agenda for the meeting reveals Mayor James P. Dodd's move to deliver the first reading of an ordinance that would restructure the Dover Police and Fire departments to be run by a Director of Public Safety. See the ordinance below:

This continues the increasingly nasty feud between Mayor Dodd and Police Chief Jonathan Delaney. Mayor Dodd posted a 12-item list of grievances, ranging from claims of unlawful wiretapping to mismanagement of overtime budgets, in a "news flash" link on the Dover town website.

This move, which will create a Department of Public Safety headed by a Director who would oversee the Police, Fire, and Office of Emergency Management, is the latest in the pair's claims, counterclaims, and dueling lawsuits. As the day unfolded, Chief Delaney offered this comment:

"I welcome a full, thorough, and objective investigation by the County Prosecutor’s Office and/or the Attorney General’s Office into the recent wiretapping allegations made by certain town officials. These accusations appear to be nothing more than a politically motivated smear campaign. I am confident that our personnel acted appropriately and in accordance with the law. Furthermore, the phone equipment in question was selected, installed, funded, and maintained entirely by Town Hall, not the Police Department.

"The timing of the ordinance tonight clearly appears to be retaliatory," Chief Delaney said. "Shortly after I filed a lawsuit against the Town of Dover and the Mayor, they added an ordinance to the agenda that abolishes my position and adds unnecessary civilian position(s).

The town could be using this available funding to hire additional police officers to patrol the streets of Dover rather than funding unnecessary civilian positions at the top of the organization.

I trust an impartial investigation will reveal the truth and expose the political motivations behind the baseless claims."

Dover Fire Chief Paul McDougall declined to comment on the news; Mayor Dodd didn't return a text requesting comment.

All interested residents can click here to watch tonight's town council meeting. Check back at dovernow.com for more news and information about your community.