As reported by nj.com, the Camden County Freeholders hired a former New Jersey State Police Captain and Camden City resident to help form the county’s regionalized police department. Edward Fanelle will join the former police director for the State of New Jersey, Jose Cordero, in creating the operational team constructing the Camden County Police Department, Freeholder Louis Cappelli announced.
“One of the reasons we thought Ed would be a good fit for this department is his depth and breadth of knowledge in hiring and building a strong organization,” Cappelli said. “Also, he has been able to do things in a more efficient manner and deliver cost savings for every employer he has worked for in the last 30 years.” Fanelle, as the director of public safety for Camden County, created new standards for hiring and strengthening the workforce and reduced employee sick time during his tenure in the position, Cappelli said.
Among his other achievements was to oversee the transition of a new federally-mandated county communication plan for the county-wide dispatch system. He also supervised all public safety entities within the county from the juvenile detention center to the Communications Center.
During his time as a personnel officer in the New Jersey State Police, overseeing 4,600 employees, Fanelle developed the Compliance Unit, county officials said. This unit monitored sick leave abuses and instituted new policies, which created an annual savings of $2.4 million.
Fanelle’s salary is being financed through the Department of Community Affairs and will be charged as startup costs to the State of New Jersey for the construction of the Camden County Police Department.