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**The Camden County (NJ) Police Department: An Agency of Empowerment**
 October 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 9

*The COPS Office is pleased to feature the**Camden  County (New Jersey) Police Department**(CCPD) as a 2019 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo  Contest. The winning photo features Officer Lissandra Sime with 3-year-old  Nyasia Lee and 2-year-old Rasheem Lee at the CCPD’s annual Masquerade with the  Metro Halloween event.*

 In the summer of 2011, homicides were at a record-breaking  high in the city of Camden, New Jersey. The Camden Police Department (CPD) did  not have sufficient staffing or funding to be able to keep the city safe.  Sweeping layoffs and high expenses were plaguing the CPD and causing crime to  go unchecked throughout the urban area.

 This led city and state officials to make a groundbreaking  decision—to disband the CPD and start anew with a regionalized county force,  the Camden County Police Department (CCPD). The move would free up funding from  expensive contractual obligations and redirect the money into hiring a new,  larger police force with more resources.

 The CCPD officially opened on May 1, 2013, and, within  months, reached its goal of hiring the budgeted 400 officers. With more  officers patrolling the area—as well as more access to necessary resources—the  CCPD was able to target violent street gangs and crime in the city with the  help of federal and law enforcement partners. 

 Over the past six years, the department has been able to  reduce violent crime and homicide rates. “Last year we were at a 40 year low in  violent crime and this year, so far, we are about 2 percent underneath that,”  said Lieutenant Zsakhiem James, Community Commander of the CCPD. James is a  native of South Camden and has worked as a law enforcement officer in the city  for 27 years.

 When re-entering the community as the CCPD, the  department’s main priority was not only reducing crime but also resurrecting  the community’s sense of security through community policing. “We want to  empower people to come back out on [their] porches, to have children ride their  bikes and feel safe,” James said. “It doesn’t matter what the numbers are, but,  if you don’t feel safe walking to the corner store, then we haven’t done our job.”

 The CCPD’s new structure ensures that all levels of the  department are involved in community engagement. “We don’t have what’s called a  ‘patrol division’ anymore. We got rid of that. Now, everyone is a part of the  neighborhood response team (other than the detectives),” James said. “So, [all  officers are] responsible [for being] a community outreach person.” This new  culture of being able to engage the community at any one time is “the key to  [the department’s] success,” and “is part of what [the CCPD teaches] from day  one.”

 The “all hands on deck” approach helps the CCPD in  achieving another goal, which is becoming an integral part of the community.  Officers’ consistent presence in the neighborhood is necessary so that the  community feels heard. “Our engagement with the community is to build that  trust and transparency, [so] people begin to talk to us and have those  conversations.” 

 Opening these lines of communication is a critical element  to the community commander. James stresses that “conversation brings clarity,  and clarity brings understanding, and understanding then brings empowerment.”

 “We want to be an agency of empowerment in our community,  not just an occupying force,” James noted. “It’s not a matter of imposing our  will—we're finding out what the community wants and how we can be a better  police department.”

 The CCPD’s presence is felt through events, community  meetings, partnerships, discussions with stakeholders, and by just walking the  beat. Through these daily conversations with residents, the CCPD is able to  build meaningful relationships with the community. The smallest details and follow-ups  can help to change a neighbor’s everyday life for the better because “it builds  that trust, that you hear what they are saying, and that you value what they  have to say.” 

 The winning photo was taken at the Masquerade with the  Metro, which is one of the many annual events that were started at the CCPD’s  inception. The image symbolizes the progress that the department has made in  creating real relationships and a safer community for those living in Camden.  Lt. James notes that the department is always evolving and it hopes to  continuously improve upon creating a safe space and building trust.

 “By no means are we planting the flag of victory, but  we're just on the right path and will continue to build this relationship with  the community so that the whole community as a whole is empowered.”

*Written with contributions from Lieutenant  Zsakhiem James of  the CCPD. Photo courtesy of the CCPD.*

 Madeleine Smith          Managing Editor

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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