Delaware House Approves Commission to Study Wilmington Crime

The state House has voted unanimously to create a commission to study ways to reduce violent crime in Wilmington.

The commission, proposed by Gov. Jack Markell in his State of the State speech last week, has a reporting deadline of March 31.

The resolution approved Tuesday and sent to the Senate notes that Wilmington has one of the worst violence rankings in the country among hundreds of cities of comparable size.

The city had a record 154 shooting victims in 2013. There were 127 shooting victims and 23 shooting deaths last year.

The commission will be led by state Safety and Homeland Security Lew Schiliro and New Castle County's public safety director. Five other members would be appointed by Markell, and one each by the attorney general and Wilmington's mayor.