ABOUT THIS BOOK

In the 1990s and 2000s, Camden, NJ, across the river from Philadelphia, was perennially designated one of America’s most dangerous cities. The functionally bankrupt city dissolved the Camden Police Department (CPD) and created the Camden County Police Department (CCPD) in 2013, refocusing its priorities and officer performance standards to engage with the community and build trust. The change was significant, with notable drops in violent crime and murder. However, concerns about the use of force and other aggressive practices continued.

In Chasing Change in Camden, John Shjarback investigates how Camden’s police department re-formed and questions whether it can serve as a model for other cities. He analyzes successful policies—from innovative police training to advancements in technology—and evidence-based policing strategies.

Shjarback explains how the changes were implemented and then adjusted in response to community backlash. Chasing Change in Camden concludes with a discussion of threats to the reform and accountability efforts in both the CCPD and American policing more broadly. Ultimately, Camden’s case study offers valuable lessons for cities seeking effective police reform.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

John A. Shjarback is Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Justice Studies at Rowan University.

REVIEWS

“I had the opportunity to witness the transformation of Camden firsthand. I served as the police commissioner in Philadelphia during the time J. Scott Thomson served as chief of the Camden Police Department. Chasing Change in Camden captures the essence of Camden’s evolution from a city with a negative reputation for crime to one that caught the attention of the president of the United States as a model for what is possible.”—Charles H. Ramsey, Retired Philadelphia Police Commissioner and Retired Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC

“A detailed account of a dramatic transformation of what seemed to be a hopeless institution. The story of ‘Hippocratic’ policing that Chief Thomson built in Camden is essential for all those who would protect democracy under the rule of law.”—Lawrence W. Sherman, Wolfson Professor of Criminology Emeritus at the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge and CEO of Benchmark Cambridge, a global police reform company

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. A City Transformed

3. Reform Efforts and the Decision to Dissolve and Rebuild

4. The Newly Formed CCPD

5. CCPD’s Impact

6. CCPD’s Course Correction

7. Did the Changes Take?

8. Next Frontiers and Broader Police Reform Efforts

9. Expanding the Narrow Focus on Public Safety and Economic Revitalization Efforts

10. Conclusion

References

Index

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