As reported by nj.com, Mayor Dana Redd announced the city of Camden will lay off its entire police force in order to make way for a county-wide police department. Camden’s 270 police officers could receive their layoff notices by the end of the year. According to officials, the county police force would include a new Camden Metro Police Division, with 400 officers. Current plans would permit no more than half of the city’s 270 officers to be hired for the new division.

“I commend the mayor for taking a bold step toward improving public safety with a Camden County police force,” said Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli. “This may be the boldest action ever taken by a mayor of Camden in order to protect the residents of the city.” According to Cappelli, Camden is the only municipality to show interest in joining a county-wide police department as soon as possible. He stated others have “expressed interest,” but added he could not say which municipalities were interested. 

The cost of policing Camden currently stands at approximately $60 million for the year. Camden County officials are expected to make an announcement regarding the hiring of county-wide police officers late next week. Field training for the officers will begin soon after that. Under the plan, current Camden Police Chief Scott Thompson would be placed in command of the metro division. 

Police union leaders, on the other hand, are lambasting the plan, arguing it will eliminate seasoned officers and replace them with new recruits, putting residents at risk. John Williamson, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Camden, which represents 230 of the city’s police officers, said the union is exploring all options in order to fight the layoff plan.

“It’s a sad day that we have to go through this again,” said Williamson. “We’re not going to just sit back while this happens; we’re looking at all legal options.” To Williamson, a new county-wide department would mean officers who are unfamiliar with the city, its culture, and its people. He added the move could jeopardize response times and community outreach.

“They’re talking about getting rid of a 141 year old agency for a brand new, unproved entity,” he said. “What they’re essentially doing is running an experiment with public safety, and they’re experimenting with people’s lives.”

Tags: Articles, Camden Police, consolidation, Layoffs, NJ Police, NJ Public Safety Officers
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Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.

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