Following Dover's deadliest year, Police Department rolls out anti-violence video contest

Delaware News Journal

Following Dover's deadliest year on record, the city's Police Department is rolling out a crime prevention video contest for middle and high schoolers.

Announced Wednesday, the contest is open to students in the Caesar Rodney and Capital school districts. Dover police are asking students to create anti-gun, anti-violence and anti-drug videos, which will be judged.

Winners will receive a cash prize, though the exact amount will be determined based on the number of people involved in the winning videos. A minimum of $1,500 in prize money will be divided among the winners.

The top videos will be published on the Dover police YouTube page, which has tens of thousands of subscribers and on social media and will potentially be featured in school video announcements.

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Police said they're also discussing ways to incorporate the videos into public service announcements.

The contest comes at a key time for Delaware's capital city, which recorded nine homicides in 2020 — the most Dover has ever seen. Of the nine people killed, eight died from gunshot wounds.

That's a 300% increase over 2019, which saw two people fatally shot.

Dover police investigate after a house was struck by gunfire on the night before Halloween, 2020. No one was believed hurt in the incident.

Already this year, eight people have been shot in the city. While that's three fewer people injured in shootings by this time last year, Dover continues to struggle with gang and drug issues, which drive much of the violence.

"Gangs, their business is drugs, and a tool of their trade is firearms, and to a larger extent violence and intimidation," Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. told Delaware Online/The News Journal last year.

"If we can dial this stuff in, we'll see the results down the line."

Officials, law enforcement and activists have said targeting youth is key to curbing the violence. Not only are teens and young adults committing the majority of the shootings, but they are also the most susceptible to gang recruitment.

Dover police said while the goal of the video contest is to engage teens and preteens in crime prevention strategies, the department also hopes the videos will provide officers insight into what messages resonate with kids.

That, in turn, will help police create future anti-gang and anti-drug programs.

Though students must live in the Caesar Rodney and Capital school districts to participate in the contest, they don't need to attend those schools. Private, charter and home-schooled youth are welcome to submit an entry.

The videos cannot depict violence, drugs or "illegal activity in any form" — including replicas or props of weapons and drugs — and they cannot include profanity, racial slurs or discrimination.

The videos also must be between 30 seconds and two minutes. The deadline to submit the videos is 3 p.m. on April 16.

The Dover Police Chief's Advisory Committee will vote on the winner, which will be judged on the strength of the message, originality, visual appeal, creativity and how well participants follow guidelines.

To register to submit a video, visit doverpolice.org/contest.

Send story tips or ideas to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_