| Camden Police Department | |
| Abbreviation | CPD |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | City of Camden in the state of New Jersey, USA |
| Size | 11.4 square miles (30 km2) |
| Population | 77,344 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Camden, New Jersey |
| Chief of Police responsible | Scott Thomson |
| Website | |
| Camden Police site | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Camden Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Camden, New Jersey. It consists of 460 police officers, and is the second-largest police force in southern New Jersey after Atlantic City. Since 2005, the State of New Jersey has operated the Camden Police Department; this takeover will expire in 2012.
Camden consistently ranks among the cities in the United States with the highest crime rate based on FBI statistics. In 2008, Camden had 2,333 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents, compared to the national rate of 455.[1] Camden has been ranked America's "most dangerous city" in 2004, 2005, and 2009 by CQ Press, which ranks cities based on reported murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft data.[1]
Contents |
The Special Operations squad coordinates specialized resources to aid police in daily field activities and special occurrences. The CPD operates the following forces:
An ongoing federal investigation alleges that former Camden Police Officer Kevin Parry and four other officers planted drugs during illegal searches, pocketed money, and framed suspects.[2] Kevin Parry has pleaded guilty in the case, admitting a role in charges being overturned or dismissed in 185 drug cases.[3]