HEALING THE DIVIDE: COMMUNITY POLICING AFTER GEORGE FLOYD, A MODEL

Healing the Divide - Love, Listen, and Lead: A Look at the Camden, New Jersey Model of Policing, An Example of Community Policing in a Time When America is Demanding Defunding of Police Departments Across our Nation, in Response to the Killing of George Floyd

By: Lori Cooper, Published Author for LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY NEWS MEDIA (www.lawenforcementtoday.com) and for the upcoming August 31, 2020 Edition of the Law Enforcement Magazine THE BLUE MAGAZINE, The Independent Voice of Law Enforcement: www.thebluemagazine.com

A decade ago, it had the highest murder rate in the country. The divide between the community of the city of Camden, New Jersey, and Police was at an all-time high.

During that time, the city of Camden, New Jersey eliminated its Police Department. The streets looked lik a war-torn, third-world country.

A 21-year veteran Police Officer for the former Department had to apply for a position under the newly-created Camden, County Police Department. Its funding was INCREASED in a sizable manner. Every Police Officer hired went through a major process that involved a wide variety of community Policing programs to determine and discern that their personalities were a match.

Training of this Department is completely different than the old Camden Police force. It is intense, continuous, and ongoing in active shooter situations, domestic violence cases, burglaries, murders, robberies, and worst-case crime circumstances. Conversely, ongoing training in communication with the citizens of Camden is also a requirement for every Police Officer who is a member of this progressive Police Department.

The focus is on de-escalation tactics. One scenario has an active shooter situation where his position, the Police Officer's inability to get him to drop his gun in a hostage situation, and every de-escalation tactic these Officers have trained for, requires that Officer to use his firearm to save the life of the hostage and himself, yet the shooter's position meant the Officer was forced to shoot him in the back, something we all would think would be an immediate problem, except what sometimes is AWFUL IS LAWFUL. That training scenario was played out in one of the real-life role-playing computer-enhanced models with a male black member of the media posing as the Police Officer, whose position about the Police is now far different than it was. Neither the very best nor EVERY de-escalation tactic is going to work. Every situation is different.

To say that this or any Police Department can train for every single scenario is just not possible. That's the sad part of Policing. But they're constantly trying to tactically train for as many circumstances as they can, and for that, their methods and statistics continue to improve. A side-by-side comparison of the streets of Camden ten years ago and now are worlds apart.

Fast-forward to today, and the Camden, County Police Department, including the 21-year veteran Officer who had to apply for his job back, is now the Chief, and its Officers walk their streets and beats and know local business owners and residents. Murders are down 70%. Burglaries are down 67%. Trust has been regained by the community and its Police Department. The unity is strikingly and extraordinarily astounding.

Its funding is considerable and its force undoubtedly receives the most expensive and the very best of training, with the computer-enhanced, real-life, role-playing scenarios in which their training tactics are always changing with the times, an obvious large contributing factor to their success.

Every Officer in the Camden, County Police Department is required to take care of a fellow Cop who has gone awry. If the Officers aren't successful, they're then required to report that Officer to superiors or face the loss of their own jobs. They strike while the iron is hot.

It's a Police model I couldn't get enough of learning more about, and I believe in my heart is one which should be considered by Law Enforcement Agencies and Departments across this country. Every facet of this model seemed to carry with it a component of what makes the entire Camden Community Policing program successful.

On June 6, 2020, the date in American history of the largest protests, and yes, even riots in this country, and just a few miles from Philadelphia, the streets of Camden were quiet. A local female black business owner of an adorable boutique salon asked the white male Police Chief if she could hold a march against the George Floyd killing. The Chief approved her request, and walked down its main street with her and other members of the community. There were no signs which said "Fuck the Police," or "Defund the Police." The citizens of Camden and the business owners of Camden LIKE their Police force. More importantly, they respect the Officers who serve and protect them.

Together, we can Heal the Divide. We should Love, Listen, and Learn from Camden, County New Jersey's residents and Police Department, a remarkable model of Community Policing. -- Lori Cooper, Law Enforcement Advocate, National Public Figure, and Daughter of late Columbus Police Officer Nick Cooper, #340, shot in the line of duty on March 15, 1972. RIP, Dad. We'll take it from here.