The New Jersey Attorney General's Office convened a Public Safety Commission "The Blue Ribbon Panel" (comprised of well renowned consultants/experts, local law enforcers and community members) to evaluate the Camden City Police Department and make recommendations to improve the department/public safety. In August 2005, the Commission announced, at a public event with over 300 community members in attendance, that, based on the Commission's findings, the department was going to be restructured into 4 geographic districts with a Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeants and officers assigned in each area of the city. The rationale for this recommendation was: to breakdown silos within the department, to shift accountability and make the Captains true commanders and to have consistent leadership and presence in the community. This latter objective was intended to spur true community policing, which invariably includes gaining a thorough familiarity with the people and environment, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
As part of the restructuring of the police department, and in keeping with the philosophy of community oriented policing, the Commission recommended that each district create a council/formal body/aka DCCBs (with community representation from the neighborhoods) that can interact, make recommendations and problem solve with the police and other agencies in the city to improve public safety and the overall quality of life for Camden residents.[1] It was agreed that the DCCBs should be representative of the district they are in and should have a formal structure that allows for information to be disseminated and tracked and that provides a mechanism that promotes problem solving strategies and stronger more effective ways of measuring accountability.
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