Bad News, We're Doomed to Repeat the Cycle of Police Reforms

I learned today that the last staff member in the NJ Attorney General's Office with long term experience on Camden Police Department Reform issues is being layed off. This is a disaster for Camden. We have a newly appointed Supersession Executive Arturo Venegas who is doing a great job. He is going to need the continued support of the Attorney General's Office to get the job done down here.

New staff in NJ State bureaucracies underestimate the mess in Camden. They don't realize how deep, widespread, complicated, and interconnected the mess is in the public bureaucracy in Camden. This is why the State Attorney General's Office has been "reforming" the Camden Police Deparment for 30 years.

Take a look at all the wonderful audits they've done year after year only to watch the mess get worse. It takes long term sustained efforts to improve Camden. Replacing staff before the job is done is crazy. See http://www.camconnect.org/resources/CamdenPD.htm

Also, the State of New Jersey had hired the Police Institute in Newark and Bob Wasserman an internationally recognized consultant on police department organizational reform. They worked for over 2 years to analyze the department and help to make changes. They wrote the report from the Blue Ribbon Police Reform Commission. They helped to recruit Arturo Venegas to run the Camden Police Department. They have all been let go as well.

There is $1,500,000 earmarked in the 2006-2007 NJ State Budget for Camden public safety work. See http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2006/Bills/AL06/45_.PDF page 141. What is the money being used for? Can you say OPRA! I think it's time for an OPRA request!

We're the 5th most dangerous City in the Country this year. We could easily move back to #1. The Division of Community Affairs has moved to the forefront on Camden issues. They need to stay focused on Public Safety and keep the staff member and consultant who are or have already moved on. There is too much progress that has been made and too much at stake.

Okay newspaper editorial boards where are you? Let's not backtrack on the progress we've made on public safety.