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Residents Oppose Reinstatement of Dover Officer After Acquittal

Dover Police Department Facebook

Dover Police Officer Thomas Webster IV may have been acquitted of assault charges against Lateef Dickerson but the City Council heard residents telling them they don’t want him back on the force.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that a number of those who spoke last night said his reinstatement would raise questions of trust between the community and the police department.

While Webster was found not guilty many in the African American community believe that the dashcam video which showed him kicking Dickerson in the jaw demonstrated the use of excessive force.

La Mar Gunn, president of the Central Delaware NAACP, told the council he didn’t know that police were trained in what he described as an NFL field-goal kick.

Nonetheless Gunn praised the city police department as one of the best in the land but added that if Webster were back on the force it would result in a loss of faith by the community.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.