LAWS OF DELAWARE
VOLUME 85
CHAPTER 153
153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FORMERLY
SENATE BILL NO. 112
AN ACT TO RENAME THE DELAWARE STATE POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY IN HONOR OF COLONEL JAMES L. FORD, JR.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
WHEREAS, Colonel James L. Ford, Jr. passed away on March 1, 2025, at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, he dedicated 51 years of his life to public service in the State and Delaware and his country; and
WHEREAS, his career began with service in the U.S. Navy aboard an ammunitions ship during the Korean War, followed by his return to Delaware, where he joined the Newark Police Department from 1953 to 1956; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Ford led a distinguished career with the Delaware State Police, holding various positions including K-9 officer, Director of Training, and ultimately Superintendent before retiring in 1976; and
WHEREAS, after retiring from the State Police, he continued his dedication to law enforcement and education as an instructor and Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Delaware Technical and Community College’s Terry Campus, later serving as Assistant to the President for College Relations; and
WHEREAS, his contributions to education and public service were recognized in 1987 when he received Delaware Technical and Community College’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, followed by his induction into the University of Delaware’s Wall of Fame in 1997; and
WHEREAS, in 2001, Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed Colonel Ford as Cabinet Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, a role in which he served until 2004; and
WHEREAS, as a member of the Association of Delaware State Police, he chaired the Council on Police Training for the State of Delaware for 20 years, helping to shape law enforcement standards and training; and
WHEREAS, his leadership extended beyond law enforcement, as he played an active role in numerous criminal justice organizations, including the Delaware State Police Museum, Delaware Chief Police Foundation, Delaware Safety Council, and Delaware Sentencing Accountability Commission, while also serving two terms as Honorary Commander of Dover Air Force Base as part of their community outreach program; and
WHEREAS, his academic pursuits reflected a commitment to continued learning, having graduated from the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, participated in a Winterim Program in London to study the British criminal justice system, and completed a national security program with the United States Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Ford’s lifelong dedication to law enforcement, public safety, and education exemplifies an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing and protection of the people of Delaware.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
Section 1. The Delaware State Police Training Academy is hereby renamed the “Colonel James L. Ford, Jr. State Police Training Academy.”
Section 2. Appropriate signs shall be placed on the training academy grounds to reflect it is the “Colonel James L. Ford, Jr. State Police Training Academy.”
Approved August 20, 2025