Twenty-two Delaware nonprofit organizations will receive a collective total of $452,605 in grant money to improve the well-being of Delawareans through financial literacy programs, announced Governor Jack Markell at an event today in Wilmington. A total of 39 organizations throughout the state applied for funding from state’s Financial Literacy Education Fund (FLEF). Governor Markell was joined in his announcement by State Bank Commissioner Robert Glen, Chief Deputy Secretary of State Richard Geisenberger and representatives of the recipient organizations.

Brief descriptions of the programs receiving funding for 2012

In 2009, Governor Markell signed Senate Bill 108 requiring businesses that make short-term consumers loans (such as title loans and payday loans) to pay an annual high-cost loan license fee of $1,500 for each licensed office they operate. These monies are deposited into the FLEF, which the law states must be used to fund grants to or contracts with schools or other organizations that provide financial and economic literacy skills to adults and youth.

“We are providing opportunities for adults and young people to have access to information that helps them make responsible financial decisions,” said Governor Markell. “Good financial decisions in the short term make for a better quality of life in the long term. If we educate our children about spending and saving money, we give them a better chance of making good financial decisions throughout their lives.”

The FLEF is administered by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner and the Secretary of State’s Office. Proposals for competitive grants were assessed on how they would improve the financial well-being of Delawareans. The State was particularly interested in funding proactive, preventive, and forward-thinking proposals. Applications for programs and services designed to reach populations or geographic regions within Delaware that have had limited access to financial literacy programs were strongly encouraged.

All schools recognized by the Delaware Department of Education and nonprofit organizations within the state of Delaware that have a 501(c)(3) designation by the Internal Revenue Service were eligible to apply. Agencies receiving a Financial Literacy Education Fund grant must serve the state of Delaware and its residents without discrimination based on race, religion, gender, age, disability, or national origin.

Grants were awarded in three categories: K-12 Financial Literacy Programs; Adult Financial Literacy Programs; and Targeted Campaigns focused on providing education to those facing decisions on debt, with specific emphasis on reaching out to the military, seniors, and minority communities.

Bipartisan group of former police officers sponsor legislation
 
Dover – Attorney General Beau Biden and a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced legislation today that will create a felony offense of providing false information to law enforcement officers.
 
Senate Bill 209, which is sponsored by Sen. Bruce Ennis, Rep. Larry Mitchell, Sen. David Lawson and Rep. Biff Lee, was introduced yesterday.  Individuals who purposefully provide false information to police investigating a crime would be guilty of a Class G felony under the legislation and face the penalty of up to two years in jail. .

The federal government and other states have laws that punish those who lie to police officers. This legislation adds to Delaware’s existing false reporting law by making it a crime to knowingly provide a false statement to law-enforcement in order to prevent, hinder or delay an investigation. 

“I’m proud to be working with members of the General Assembly, some of whom are former police officers, to address this significant problem,” Biden said. 

“Government’s most fundamental responsibility is to protect the public,” Biden said. “Those who lie to police officers protect criminals, force law enforcement officers to waste valuable time and threaten public safety.  I am proud to be working with former police officers in the legislature to address a significant problem that our police agencies confront every day.” 

Sen. Ennis, D-Smyrna, said the issue is a long-standing one and he hope the bill will make people think twice about lying to police and prosecutors during an investigation.

“I like the fact that we’re tailoring this law to fit the crime instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Ennis, a former state police officer. “The problem of people making false statements, for whatever reason, seems like it’s been around as long as there’s been crime. But I hope this makes people decide against making a false statement.”

A retired New Castle County Police officer, Rep. Mitchell said that the legislation would help police officers gather truthful information to solve crimes.
 
“When police are investigating a crime, any misstep can be critical. If someone lies to police and sends them down the wrong path, an innocent person could be drawn into the investigation, or police might not catch the criminal,” said Rep. Mitchell, D-Elsmere. “If a person intentionally lies to police, law enforcement should have the ability to hold them accountable. My hope is that this new charge not only catches those who make false statements, but it also prevents others from making the same mistake. The end goal is fewer false statements, which will help police do their jobs more effectively.”
 
Sen. Lawson, a retired state trooper, said: “I feel that any false information given to the police hinders and prolongs the investigation which allows criminals to generate more victims in the meantime.”
 
Rep. Lee, R-Laurel, stated, “I am proud to be a prime sponsor of this important legislation.  It’s a bill that is overdue and one that I believe will go a long way toward assisting law enforcement with their investigations.  As a former State Police officer, I see the value in providing law enforcement with the tools that are needed in order to fight against anything that would obstruct justice.  I applaud Senator Ennis and Rep. Mitchell for taking the lead on this legislation and I look forward to working with them and the Attorney General’s Office in getting the bill signed into law.”
 
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Dover  – The following checkpoint is scheduled to take place Friday as part of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign:

Friday April 27th –   Wilmington  (NcCo DUI Task Force)

The Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign is a crackdown on impaired driving.  Delaware will be conducting 2 DUI checkpoints each month until July when weekly DUI checkpoints will resume.  This campaign is aimed at removing impaired drivers from our roadways and deterring those who might otherwise choose to drive after drinking alcohol or using drugs.

The Office of Highway Safety reminds motorists that traffic deaths kill and injure Delawareans nearly twice as often as violent crimes.

For more information on Checkpoint Strikeforce visit www.ohs.delaware.gov and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.

Dover – The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is asking drivers “Are You That Guy?” as they launch the agency’s aggressive driving campaign for 2012.  The agency is building upon the already successful “Respect the Sign” aggressive driving campaign and again highlighting the traffic signs drivers are more likely to ignore such as stop signs, speed limit signs, and yield signs.  The campaign will include high-visibility enforcement and awareness initiatives aimed at reducing aggressive driving-related traffic deaths.

OHS will conduct with four 2-week mini waves of enforcement beginning April 30th and ending in August. Enforcement will be accompanied by outreach efforts focused on reducing the top four aggressive driving behaviors that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield the right of way (not waiting for other drivers), driving left of center (unsafe lane changing) and stop sign violations.

Since January 1^st of this year there have been 27 fatal crashes in Delaware, 11 of which were caused by aggressive driving behaviors.  Just this month, 7 individuals were killed in a crash caused by either speeding or failure to grant the right of way.  In 2011, of the State’s 97 fatal crashes, 37% (37 crashes) were attributed to aggressive driving behaviors.  Of these 37 fatal crashes, a driver’s failure to grant the right of way caused 9 crashes, and speeding caused 11 crashes.

“If you are confronted by an aggressive driver, safely move out of their way, do not challenge them or make threating gestures,” said Jana Simpler, Director of OHS. “Once you are in a safe location away from ‘That Guy’, report the driver to 9-1-1 and give the vehicle & driver description, direction of travel and license plate number if you can.  Aggressive driving is dangerous and can lead to serious injury and sometimes deadly consequences.”

Public outreach and education activities along high visibility enforcement will continue to be the cornerstone of this year’s new campaign efforts. A new website www.AggressivedrivingDE.com was created where individuals can take a quiz to find out what type of driver they are, learn about the violations & penalties for aggressive driving, and how to deal with ‘that guy’ if they encounter one on the road.  Life sized traffic signs with ‘that guy’ excuse for ignoring the sign, will also be placed at select partnering locations through the state including Grottos, University of Delaware, and California Tortilla. OHS is also partnering with Lynam & Catts beach service to place floatable key chains on beach chairs for patrons to keep as a reminder to check and see if they are ‘that guy’.

Delaware State Police in all three counties, along with the New Castle County, Dover, Milford and Wilmington Police agencies will be conducting aggressive driving patrols during the 4 waves of enforcement.  Police are being asked to focus on the top four aggressive driving violations in the State of Delaware with the primary focus on drivers who fail to grant the right of way to other drivers.  Failure to grant the right of way violations include drivers who turn left in front of another vehicle, pull out in front of other vehicles at stop signs and fail to merge safely.  It is also the primary contributing factor in aggressive driving related fatal and injury crashes.

New paid media messaging focusing on aggressive driving behaviors have been developed and will be incorporated throughout the 4 waves of enforcement including cable tv, billboards, print, online advertising, posters, fliers, and table tents.

Individuals who are stopped under Delaware’s aggressive driving law can be charged both with aggressive driving and charged for each individual traffic offense.  Penalties include fines between $100 – $300 for a first offense, possible jail time, and mandatory attendance at an 8-hour behavior modification course.  Subsequent convictions will result in the loss of driving privileges for one month.   The 2011 “Respect The Sign” campaign resulted in 4,698 citations being issued for aggressive driving behaviors and 36 individuals arrested for Aggressive Driving.

For more information on Respect The Sign campaign or any of the other OHS campaigns visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE or follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe.

Attorney General’s office has awarded victims nearly $10 million in compensation over the past three years; Two employees honored for service to victims
Wilmington – At the start of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week on Monday, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden congratulated two Department of Justice employees for their dedication to helping victims and highlighted the success of his office’s program that compensates victims for a wide variety of services they need in the aftermath of a crime.
Mariann Kenville-Moore, director of the Attorney General’s Victim & Witness Services Unit, and Evelyn Smith, a lead social worker in the Unit’s New Castle County office, received the Delaware Victims’ Rights Task Force’s 2012 Outstanding Professional Award in recognition of their service and commitment to victims of crime.  Kenville-Moore and Smith are career social workers who handle the most serious criminal cases involving violent crimes, including homicides, rapes, and assaults. Kenville-Moore leads a staff of more than 30 social workers and support staff who are focused solely on ensuring that victims receive support and services. They help victims navigate the criminal justice system and make sure they are notified of developments in their cases so that they can participate fully in the prosecution of perpetrators.
“Mariann and Evelyn have dedicated their careers to making sure victims’ voices are heard,” Attorney General Biden said. “Every day they stand should to shoulder with victims as they work to recover from devastating crimes. I am incredibly proud of the work they do.”
Biden also highlighted the successes of the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP), which his office was given responsibility for in 2009. In the three years since, Biden’s office has substantially increased outreach efforts to ensure that victims are aware of the program and receive the help they deserve.
Although VCAP received only 689 applications for assistance in FY2009, that number jumped to 1,271 applications in FY 2011. VCAP awarded nearly $3.3 million in FY2010 and $3.2 million in FY2011, and it is projected that by the time FY2012 ends on July 1, VCAP will have directed an additional $3.4 million to victims. The Program is funded mainly through surcharges on court fines and penalties, and pays victims’ expenses such as mental health counseling, medical bills, lost wages, and moving and relocating services for victims of domestic violence.
“VCAP funds are a lifeline to victims, ensuring that they receive the help they need and deserve to rebuild their lives,” said Biden.

Attorney General Biden will speak this Wednesday in Dover at the 21st annual Crime Victims’ tribute.
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