https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/16/no-camden-new-jersey-didnt-defund-the-police
Proudly labeling Camden’s transformation as the result of disbanding its police force isn’t the whole story. Camden reorganized and grew its police force.
Proponents of defunding or disbanding police departments are lauding Camden, New Jersey, as a model for the nation. They suggest that the rapid decline in the city’s crime since it disbanded its police department in 2012 proves the merits of their position.
We can discern the truth by analyzing the policies Camden implemented after it disbanded its police department and measuring how well they worked.
It bears noting up front that in spite of the heartening declines in crime rates Camden has achieved since 2012, it remains one of the most dangerous cities in America. Its violent crime rate in 2019 was eight times that of New Jersey’s overall rate of violent crime, the highest rate by far of any city in a state with several high-crime urban centers. Yet this qualifies as progress. Last year marked the lowest-crime year in Camden in decades.
Proudly labeling Camden’s transformation as the result of disbanding its police force would be to tell less than half the story. Rather, Camden reorganized and grew its police force.
Camden Didn’t Exactly ‘Defund the Police’