New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today announced that he is directing Attorney General Paula Dow and State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes, in partnership with Mayor Dana L. Redd and local officials, to deploy additional personnel and assets to aid law enforcement efforts in Camden. The Governor’s directive will supply state resources to conduct targeted patrols aimed at suppressing criminal activity in identified crime hot spots, strengthening law enforcement efforts as the city and county continue implementing a regionalized police force and metro division for the city.
“As Mayor Redd and county officials are taking bold, necessary action to implement a long term policing strategy centered on a regionalized police force, I am taking action to deploy additional resources to support the public safety needs of Camden right now,” said Governor Christie. “This targeted deployment of state personnel and assets will have an immediate impact in curbing violence and crime and protecting the people of Camden.”
“We are sending additional troopers to conduct crime suppression patrols and increase the presence of uniformed police officers when and where they are needed most,” said Attorney General Dow. “We believe this increase in law enforcement resources is the best way to aid the Camden Police Department and people of the city in an immediate manner.”
Governor Christie ordered the redeployment of state troopers to address concerns about increased violence in Camden. Attorney General Dow has met in recent days with Mayor Redd and Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk to discuss options for addressing violent crime in the city.
For the past nine years, the New Jersey State Police has maintained a contingent of troopers in Camden, who have provided critical assistance to the Camden Police Department. These troopers already help investigate about 70 percent of the shootings in the city, and are very active with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in taking wanted criminals off of the streets.
The additional personnel being deployed by Colonel Fuentes, under the direction of Governor Christie and Attorney General Dow, will provide a visible surge in uniformed troopers. While the specific numbers of troopers and locations of deployment will not be discussed in order to maintain the confidentiality of strategic operations, the deployments will be driven by crime reports showing the worst times, days and locations where violence has been occurring.
“We will support the Camden Police Department and our law enforcement partners in a cooperative effort to thwart the senseless violence occurring in that city,” said Colonel Fuentes. "Recent incidents highlight the brazen acts of a small percentage of lawless individuals who have been ignoring the law in Camden. We are here to assist the Camden Police Department and the citizens of Camden in reclaiming their streets.”
The State Police’s Regional Operations and Intelligence Center consistently supports the Camden Police Department and the state, county and federal law enforcement agencies in Camden with detailed intelligence regarding crime in the city, identifying which neighborhoods have experienced the highest levels of violent crime, and even using detailed information on crime and criminal elements in the city to offer predictions of when and where violence is most likely to occur. Such information will be used to deploy additional troopers in Camden for crime suppression patrols throughout the holiday season.
The Camden County Freeholder Board and Camden Mayor Dana Redd continue to make notable progress toward the creation of a regional police force that would include a metro division responsible for patrolling the City of Camden. The exchange of financial information has been completed and the next step will be to finalize a policing plan and enter into an agreement. The plan is being designed to increase public safety, be affordable in terms of city/county budgets and be fair to law enforcement professionals.
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