A Camden County police department is disbanding due to "severe staffing shortage." Here's what's next.
WOODLYNNE, N.J. (CBS) — The Woodlynne Police Department will disband later this month because of a "severe staffing shortage." Now, another police department is stepping in to take over patrols in the community.
Camden County officials say the Woodlynne Police Department is no longer sustainable because of a severe staffing shortage and deficiencies within the department.
"A police department in Woodlynne is no longer sustainable," Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli said.
Camden County Police announced Thursday that it will begin supplemental patrols on Sept. 1 in the borough of about 2,900 people.
Gabriel Rodriguez, Camden County's chief of police, called the current situation in the borough of Woodlynne "scary."
"The entire system is broken," Rodriguez said, "and it's like policing back in the '70s at this point."
"This was something we had to do for the safety of the public, visitors and our police officers," Edwin Ramos, the borough's director of public safety, said.
Last month, Ramos wrote a letter to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office detailing that by October, the police department will only be operating with four officers, leading to possible safety issues.
According to an independent evaluation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, deficiencies in the Woodlynne Police Department were rampant. Among the issues were officers' lack of training, inventory and crime data analysis, and the security of evidence that has been "grossly ignored."
"Those standards on day one when we take over will increase ten-fold," Rodriguez said, "and only get better from there."
Long-time resident Shirley Childs says she's OK with the change but wishes she and her neighbors were made aware sooner.
"Let us know. We are paying the taxes," Childs said. "We're paying their salaries, so I think we should have known."
Camden County police say they will implement their community policing model like they did in Camden.
Camden County officials will now meet with the borough to ensure a smooth transition and better determine the needs. In a few weeks, a community meeting will also be held to answer residents' questions about the new policing plan.
The county said response times will not be impacted, and the current officers in the borough will also be consolidated into the department.
