OUT OF
TOWN COPS
seen?” Williamson asks. “This
deal is not being conducted out
in the open. And the math just
doesn’t add up.”
County officials reject the allegation that the plan’s finances are
shaky, and maintain that the metro agency’s budget is simply not
ready for public consumption.
“We’re not going to go live with
a budget until it’s completely
done,” Keashen says. “You’ll see at
the end of the day that the numbers add up.”
Efforts to block the county plan
have all faltered, including a drive
in 2011 to place the new police
plan up to public vote. Petitioners
gathered enough signatures to put
the initiative on the ballot, but
the city sued to have it thrown out
and prevailed in state court.
Opponents of the metro police
plan continue to fight, however,
with a new focus on building
public pressure to force the city
back to the negotiating table, and
to forge a compromise that will
save the old department. They
gained a major ally in this battle
in late October, when James Harris, president of the New Jersey
NAACP, appeared at a press conference called by the Camden
police union.
HUFFINGTON
12.09.12
In brief remarks, Harris denounced the plan to disband the
Camden Police Department as
“wrong” and “unjust,” and pledged
his organization’s full support.
“The NAACP will use all of our
resources to stay on this issue and
to bring national attention to the
disrespect and the unreasonable
approach to bringing about police reform in the city of Camden,”
Harris said. “Do not eliminate the
Camden Police Department. Find
The police
union in
Camden is
against the
creation of
the Metro
Division.