Gov. Christie Sees Camden, NJ as Model For Positive Policing
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- With tensions rising between minorities and police across the country, New Jersey's governor suggests the country look to Camden, NJ as a way for both sides to work together.
Appearing Monday night on a live interview program aired on NJTV, Gov. Chris Christie pointed to the city that had been known just a couple of years ago as the most violent in America.
"We have worked incredibly hard -- the state and the county and the local government -- to reëstablish law and order in Camden, but to do it in a way where the community feels empowered," he said.
And Christie points to statistics such as the 58% reduction in the murder rate as proof that those efforts are working.
More to the point, he says, there is more cooperation between residents and police.
Christie believes Camden's experience could serve as a model for other cities in the state, and the nation, to emulate.