Pubdate: Sun, 03 Feb 2008
Source: Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Copyright: 2008 Courier-Post
Contact: http://www.courierpostonline.com/about/edletter.html
Website: http://www.courierpostonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/826

AUTHORITIES IN CAMDEN MUST FIGHT DRUG TRADE

Bringing down the staggering murder rate means focusing  every
resource on breaking up criminal organizations.

Despite reductions in shootings, assaults, arsons and  other serious
crimes in Camden over the last year, the  city remains a deadly place.
That much is certain  following a grim January in which 10 people were
  killed.

That puts Camden's murder rate -- 1.4 for every 10,000  residents --
far ahead of major cities such as  Philadelphia, New York, Chicago,
Baltimore and  Washington, D.C.

The January murders were all confined to two parts of  the city --
East Camden and the neighboring Parkside  and Whitman Park areas.

It appears clear, especially from the manner in which  some of the
murders happened, that there's something  going on in those
neighborhoods with the gangs and drug  dealers. Eight of the 10
murders were drug related,  officials say.

That's where the focus of the Camden police department,  state police
and county and federal investigators needs  to be. These criminal
gang/drug organizations need to  be attacked head on with the full
force of every law  enforcement agency the city can muster. These
criminal  organizations aren't fearful enough of the police. They
feel empowered to murder each other, sometimes in broad  daylight, and
believe they won't be caught. City  residents are left to suffer and
worry every day about  leaving their homes.

Camden has a new police chief, department veteran Ed  Hargis, who is
already making moves to attack  longstanding crime issues.

Conflict resolution organizations such as Operation  Ceasefire that
can counsel teens and young men about  solving their disagreements
without guns is a good  preventive measure that's part of what Camden
needs.

But there also has to be a fear among the criminal  organizations that
raising their profile through  murders and other street violence will
not go  unpunished. The police, the county prosecutor's office,  DEA,
FBI and other law enforcers in the city need to  recommit every
resource they can to go after the drugs  and gangs, which are at the
root of so many of the  city's murders and shootings. And why not
bring back a  bigger state police presence? Dismantling the criminal
organizations, no small task, to be sure, will make the  streets safer.
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