Consultant's Plan For Camden County Police Force Is Unveiled
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - A former top cop in Philadelphia, hired to help develop a proposed countywide police department for Camden County, NJ, has some preliminary findings.
But there's still one big, unanswered question: how much will it cost?
John Timoney, now a Miami-based public safety consultant, has laid out a plan that increases on-street staffing within the City of Camden -- the only community to sign up for the proposed force so far -- by over 80 percent.
There would be four police districts, with captains reporting to a deputy commissioner. Other units, such as the detective bureau, homicide squad, and SWAT, would be built on a countywide concept.
And the plan, which depends heavily on community policing, can grow as other towns join in. As for the money?
"They're trying to hammer out agreements between the county and the City of Camden and come up with costs," Timoney told KYW Newsradio today. "That's always a difficulty in any one of these projects."
Timoney also believes the start of a countywide operation won't occur before year's end, as some had hoped. But by next spring, he says, that's doable.
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
