Editing New Castle County, Delaware (section)

====County public safety====
Access to [[9-1-1|911 emergency services]] is provided by New Castle County through their emergency communications center for all fire/rescue/emergency medical services (EMS) throughout the county and the majority of police services, though Newark, Wilmington, and the University of Delaware maintain their own police emergency call centers. New Castle County has its own nationally accredited police department. The [[New Castle County Police Department]] is the second largest police organization in the state of Delaware. New Castle County maintains a county wide police force with authorization to enforce laws throughout the county, including within incorporated municipalities. The county police force is supported by local municipality police agencies in [[Middletown, Delaware|Middletown]], [[Newark, Delaware|Newark]], [[Delaware City]], [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], [[Newport, Delaware|Newport]], [[Elsmere, Delaware|Elsmere]], the city of [[New Castle, Delaware|New Castle]], the [[University of Delaware]], as well as the [[Delaware State Police]].

New Castle County also operates a nationally accredited, county-run paramedic service through its [http://ems.newcastlede.gov Emergency Medical Services Division]. NCC*EMS is the advanced life support (ALS) component of a two-tiered, paramedic intercept EMS system. County paramedics are located in eight full-time stations and one part-time station that operates during the hours of 7:00&nbsp;a.m. to 7:00&nbsp;p.m., with a capability of calling in additional personnel during major emergencies or planned events. Basic life support (BLS) ambulance service is provided primarily by volunteer fire companies with the use of paid employees that are trained in fire suppression and EMS. Fire/Rescue protection is provided by twenty-one volunteer [[Fire Departments in Delaware|fire departments]] throughout the county. The city of Wilmington has its own career municipal fire department and contracts with a private ambulance service for basic life support coverage. The contracted private ambulance service in Wilmington operates in a tiered response configuration with the New Castle County Paramedics.

The Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building, located in [[Minquadale]] off of [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware#New Castle County|US 13]], houses the New Castle County Police and Emergency Medical Services Division Headquarters and the emergency communications center supporting 9-1-1 services.<ref name=taylor2012newsjournal>{{Citation |last=Taylor |first=Adam |date=May 5, 2012
|title=Poor air conditioning jeopardizes 911 calls |newspaper=[[The News Journal]]
 |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120505/NEWS/205050310/Poor-air-conditioning-jeopardizes-911-calls
 |access-date=May 5, 2012
}}</ref>  The present building opened in 2007 with a construction cost of {{currency|50 million}}.<ref name=taylor2012newsjournal/>  The Headquarters occupied a former [[elementary school]] building on the same site prior to erection of the current building.<ref name=taylor2012newsjournal/>