On behalf of the patrolmen and women of the Laurel Police Department, I would like to thank you for visiting our website. The officers of our agency are proud and honored to serve our diverse community in a professional manner. Our hope, as an agency, is that this website will serve as a guide to anyone who wants to learn more about our department, our members, and the various services we are so privileged to provide to the citizens of Laurel, Delaware.
The Town of Laurel was incorporated on April 13th, 1883 and the police department quickly followed. Since its inception, the agency has grown to 19 sworn officers and 1 Chief Administrative Assistant. The Laurel Police Department protects and serves the Town of Laurel which encompasses approximately 2 square miles and nearly 5,000 residents. Our sworn and civilian staff work together to fulfill our mission statement and address an average of 5,000 calls for service annually. We do this by staffing a patrol division, criminal investigation division, K9 division, and School Resource Officer division.
The most significant resource of the Laurel Police Department is our employees and the role they play in the effort to meet our department’s mission and code of ethics. As with any organization, we cannot do it alone. We greatly need the ongoing commitment and active engagement of our citizens. Through healthy community relationships, we will pursue a team-oriented approach to better serve the members of our community. This approach comes with an open-ended invitation to become involved with the Laurel Police Department and assist us in solving crime as well as addressing quality of life issues in and around our community. Our agencies have a strong desire to work closely with all of our community members in an effort to strengthen trust, transparency, and to improve safety for all of our citizens and visitors.
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your community and guide the police department as we move forward to provide the best service available.
About Chief Robert F. Kracyla
Robert F. Kracyla was sworn in as the 16th Chief of Police for the Laurel Police Department on June 17th, 2024. Chief Kracyla is no stranger to the Town of Laurel. He served as the department's Captain from 2021 to 2023. Prior to that he has served as the Chief of Police in Middletown and Seaford, Deputy Chief at the Division of Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement and completed an extensive career as a Sergeant with the Delaware State Police.
Chief Kracyla brings with him over 42 years of police experience, 27 of which were spent in with the Delaware State Police were he achieved the rank of Sergeant. In that rank he has the pleasure of leading as a Special Operations Response Team (SORT) Commander and in Executive Protection for the Governor. The remaining 15 years he has spent as an administrator in the aforementioned respected Delaware agenies. He is a graduate of numerous tactical and logistical trainings; to include but not limited to the FBI National Academy. Over that time, he has developed many community-oriented policing models that will be utilized in his position here. His experience, coupled with the high level of professionalism already cemented in the department will prove to be a dynamite combination.