A plan that would increase police personnel in the city of Camden by 88 percent needs support from other municipalities to progress
The city of Camden would see an 88 percent increase in personnel if a countywide department were to replace the current force, according to a plan released today by county officials. Saed Hindash/The Star-LedgerCAMDEN — The city of Camden would see an 88 percent increase in personnel and an emphasis on community policing if a countywide department were to replace the current force, according to a plan released today by county officials.
But the plan, which state officials received on Friday, includes no details on how a new and significantly larger department would be paid for. So far, no other municipality has shown any interest in joining in.
"The plan is still a work in progress," said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. "There was not enough time within our deadline to sufficiently study Camden City’s finances and what it is currently spending in total for its existing force."
Under an agreement with the state announced in August, the county had until Sept. 30 to submit a plan to the state Department of Community Affairs.
A regional police department, which is favored by Gov. Chris Christie and other officials as a way to reduce costs by streamlining the county’s police agencies, has been under study for several months.
Other municipalities say they fear they would be paying to police Camden and that the number of officers patrolling their towns would shrink — a concern dismissed by county officials as unfounded.
Municipalities can choose to affiliate with the proposed department, but must agree to dissolve their own force.
Budget cuts have led to police layoffs in Camden, the city, one of the most crime-ridden cities in the nation.
The plan, which was designed by John Timoney, a former Philadelphia Police commissioner, envisions 569 employees in the proposed Camden County Police Department, compared with 303 in the current city department, an 88 percent increase. Before the police layoffs earlier this, Camden had about 370 officers on its force.
But Timoney warned today the proposed number of officers depends on the department’s budget, which is unknown at this early stage.
"This is not a light switch operation," Timoney said in a conference call with reporters. "It’s a phased-in approach. Even though we’ve plugged some numbers into the model, those are not the definite numbers on day one."
Timoney, who has also led police departments in Miami and New York, said the new department would be pro-active, rather than reactive.
Under the plan, a police commissioner would head the department, and a Community Policing Division would have captains in each of four districts.
"What we hope is the average citizen sees a better police presence, a police presence that’s more interactive," he said.
The idea of a regional police force has been criticized by union leaders across the state, who say that allowing towns to nullify existing contracts would constitute union-busting.
John Williamson, president of Camden’s Fraternal Order of Police, the city’s largest police union, said no one on the current force has less than 12 years of experience.
"You’re going to take 12 years of experience in dealing with what we deal with and totally eliminate it to bring a new police force in," Williamson said. "To me that’s turning Camden into an occupied territory."
Edward Brannigan, president of the state Fraternal Order of Police, criticized the county for failing to outline the cost savings and said: "They seem to be jumping the gun ... when they haven’t done their homework."
The state Department of Community Affairs must approve the proposal, and county officials said today there was no clear timetable for moving forward while city, county and state officials examine the plan.
In the meantime, Williamson said attorneys for the police union would also be studying it. "They need to understand this is something that we’re going to fight," he said.