Camden, New Jersey dumps whole Police Dept!

If my record of success for the company that employees me was, year after year, dead last or close to it, I would have been canned decades ago.

No pension, no benefits, no severance.

Just a get the f@@@ out of here!

Camden has been a cesspool for decades, and many of the officers have been on the force for just as long.
They failed, and the poor residents of Camden paid the price, as well as their salaries.

This would not, and could not, be tolerated in any other industry, yet the public sector continues to get passes on their failures.

I say "bravo"!

Financially, they just may not have a choice. HOWEVER, this seems to me like jumping from the frying pan into the fire....at least with the citizens of that area. I'm seeing the likes of TSA, with an above the law militia attitude, taking over. In fact, I can see this happening in city after city. It's just a matter of time. This is truly along the lines of NWO. Just wait til the unions get ahold of them and they unionize their NWO police force. They'll be unstoppable. And instead of one town/city being fiscally responsible for their private police force, the whole country will be paying. It's just a shifting of responsibility......on both fronts. I see nothing good about this. Already, small towns are fiscally "sharing" police personnel. I can see things deteriorating at an even faster pace. There will be no "peace" officers. I am pro police, we all know there are bad apples in any sector. But you take the amount of complaints against the TSA (as an example) and put that in the police sector, I'm sure TSA would win hands down. Just my opinion.

ETA: TSA just went union in June 2011

www.nytimes.com...

Screeners for T.S.A. Select UnionBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 23, 2011
WASHINGTON — Airport screeners around the county have chosen the nation’s largest federal employee union to represent them in collective bargaining talks with the government, federal officials announced Thursday.

The American Federation of Government Employees won a close runoff vote to represent about 44,000 employees at the Transportation Security Administration in the largest union election for federal workers in history.

If people really see what is coming, they will pay attention to this. It is freakin huge. They just don't know it yet. I am so deeply sad about this, the loss of freedom even more so than before.. Jesus, people wake up!!!!!!! Don't let your cities go this route! Do whatever you can to stop this. THIS IS WHERE IT COUNTS!!!! Why isn't there more outrage and activity here??? All talk and NO ACTION. All I can say is LAME, LAME, LAME, ONCE AGAIN. DON'T SLOW YOUR PONY, GET ON IT!!!!!DO SOMETHING! I don't care about S&F JUST PLEASE, VOTE, exercise some action!

I cannot express enough how important this issue is. It takes a lunitic to get it out there. It takes YOU to act, this is so important. PLEASE, PLEASE think about who you are voting for...ON EVERY LEVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I am yelling and screaming at the top of my voice. IT IS SO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!

I wish Southern Calif would do the same thing.
The prospect of being fired does wonders for an employees customer service skills.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
This is shocking and just outrageous. Everyone probably knows my stance on Public Sector Unions.

HOWEVER...... There are ways to address that problem. if the nation comes to agree with the side I'm standing on and we all choose to change that, AS a nation. Even if the change is CHOSEN at a more local level, it's got to happen in a controlled and proper way. There again, only after the majority of citizens whom the decision will most directly effect have voted or otherwise shown the consensus to remove Unions from public sector areas.

THIS is NOT the way to do that! This is insanity!

In the latest example of a cash-strapped municipality taking drastic measures to deal with swollen public sector liabilities and shrinking budgets, the city plans to disband its 460-member police department and replace it with a non-union “Metro Division” of the Camden County Police. Backers of the plan say it will save millions of dollars for taxpayers while ensuring public safety, but police unions say it is simply a way to get out of collective bargaining with the men and women in blue.

This isn't removing the Unions from the public sector by deliberate choice and careful process. This is the deciding of a few Politicians and doing it in a catastrophic way!

Camden County Mayor Dana Redd has said layoffs of the city’s police force will begin by the end of the month. Only 49 percent of current city police officers will be transferred to the new county division, whose members will begin a four- to five-month training program.

As another part of the article states, the above means that those getting axed in the end will be required to help train their replacements. Some 51% by the above figure won't be invited to keep their job after the transition to non-union police.

“A county police force that has a reasonable contract, and that’s going to provide a huge increase in the number of police officers on the streets here in Camden, is a win for everybody,” Christie said at a recent event at Rutgers-Camden University, where he signed a reform bill for higher education. “I’m willing to put my name on the line for this concept.”

Sourc e

This last part sounds great but it'll be the first time I've ever seen such a drastic and desparation move produce ANYTHING positive for long term results. Camden is not the city to be experimenting and trying new things with, IMO. Their crime rates are nothing to laugh at by any means.

Total 2012 crime stats there figure out to 16 crimes per day, every day, 365/year. This is a city of 77,000 people. Politics aside, the destruction by budgetary move is just stupid on steroids.

Are they really suggesting that NO other program, efforts or costs in the whole city budget can be trimmed? Every non-essential or non-safety related line item, to the dollar has been cut? I feel that is where a city should be before making ANY cuts or fundamental changes to Fire or Police. Those two services are not just another budget item. People DIE if those two aren't properly funded, handled and staffed by people who know what they are doing.

Look at the Empire State Building shootings for an example and what a great idea this is to keep 49% experienced cops and 51% new replacements. Surely ALL won't be rookies, but that really is beside the point, IMO. I sure worry for the people of Camden.

What say everyone? Good move or Crazytown?

Yet, people will not be able to pay..........can THE people pleaaaase speak????? I really want to hear!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by VforVendettea
I wish Southern Calif would do the same thing.
The prospect of being fired does wonders for an employees customer service skills.

You don't realise what you are saying. At least you can control the local police department. What are you getting in return??? You are just another sheeple. THINK ABOUT IT!!!! Thanks but NO THANKS. I would say get a life but that might be too difficult for you.

Originally posted by Gridrebel
If people really see what is coming, they will pay attention to this. It is freakin huge. They just don't know it yet. I am so deeply sad about this, the loss of freedom even more so than before.. Jesus, people wake up!!!!!!! Don't let your cities go this route! Do whatever you can to stop this. THIS IS WHERE IT COUNTS!!!! Why isn't there more outrage and activity here??? All talk and NO ACTION. All I can say is LAME, LAME, LAME, ONCE AGAIN. DON'T SLOW YOUR PONY, GET ON IT!!!!!DO SOMETHING! I don't care about S&F JUST PLEASE, VOTE, exercise some action!

edit on 28-8-2012 by Gridrebel because: (no reason given)

I couldn't agree more and despite taking a bit of time away from the battles here..I can't help but tend to my own threads a bit. I'm glad you decided to contribute to this one and you echo my own concerns, however awkward I seemed to be in wording them originally here.

I can't help but think a day will come in our not too distant future where far too many will have nothing but memories to look back on of 'The days we actually had our own Police Department you could call OR walk right into and meet with the leaders when times were bad". Rather, Camden seems to suggest a new trend toward centralization of Policing and authority under the guise of Budgetary necessity. While the dollars are a nightmare, the lack of Police even remotely accountable and produced from the local area is so much worse, IMO.

The next step from this seems as predictable as it is starting to seem inevitable. The county level policing "may as well" be centralized to the state. Then, well, heck....since we're at it anyway, why duplicate efforts 50 times? right? How silly.... Federal and National policing would be so much more efficient. .....and so the logic for the basis of a National Police Force at some point. The TSA on steroids.

I don't mind saying, this brave new world we're seeing form really has little I consider worthy of praise or calling a good idea, indeed.

I live pretty close to Camden. This subject has been buzzing around for quite a while and its quite scary to be honest.