Camden Officers' Jobs Threatened By New County-Run Police Force
Mike Dougherty
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - With a little help from police throughout the state, cops in Camden are fighting to keep their jobs while city and county officials work toward implementing a county-wide department that would force more than half of Camden's police out of a job.
The whole idea of a countywide department is a concept FOP president John Williamson believes is designed to fail.
"Policing is not a one-size-fits-all model. Every police deployment is customized, or should be customized, to the community that you serve."
Up to 49 percent of the current force will be retained, not necessarily the most experienced cops. Hundreds of resumes are on file from new applicants and they would fill out the force.
Retired cop Efrian Cortez asks who would train all these new cops if the veterans are let go.
"You can't just drop somebody in here who's never worked a day in their life and expect them to have everything handled hands-down. That only comes truly from experience."
The county wants to put this plan in place to save money. Williamson says it's politically motivated and that officials have not even shared details yet.
