Scores hired to protect Camden fall victim to massive layoffs

THE MEN hanging at 4th and York streets in North Camden could have passed for a SWAT team, if not for the bloodshot eyes peering out of their ski masks.

Dressed in black from head to toe, the men and a few teenagers came to life when a Honda Civic crawled through the intersection and pulled up to a curb.

"Come here, girl," one man yelled toward the passenger as she lowered the window.

Before and after their transactions, some of North Camden's many corner drug dealers were blunt about yesterday's massive police layoffs in Camden.

"F--- 'em! We're happy. Lay 'em all off," said one man who declined to be identified. "They can stop bothering us now."

Yesterday, not far from that drug corner, more than 100 Camden officers marched through slush on Market Street from their nearby Fraternal Order of Police hall. Some were crying. Others had their children huddled against them. Some had little to say, slapping one another's back as they embraced in the freezing rain.

"This is the worst day of my career," said FOP President John Williamson.

When they reached 10th Street, the officers lined their boots up along the sidewalk. In total, 168 police officers, 67 firefighters and 100 nonuniformed city employees lost their jobs yesterday as Camden, one of the nation's poorest and most dangerous cities, grapples with a $26.5 million budget deficit.

Many of the police officers joined the firefighters as they continued to march down Market Street toward the Fire Administration Building to turn in their gear.

For Tony Lynn, a 27-year-old rookie cop, the walk was a bittersweet reminder of better times. In June, he was one of 50 officers hired by the department and he marched down the same streets in his new uniform.

"I was so happy that day," he said. "Then when I got on the job, I loved it. This is the best job in the world."

After the rain stopped yesterday and the officers and firefighters returned home, people came to look at the long line of soggy boots at 10th and Market streets. Some took a few pairs with them.

A few hours later, Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson and Mayor Dana Redd held a news conference to discuss the layoffs and how the city would attempt to ensure public safety with such drastic reductions.

Thomson said he didn't regret hiring those 50 officers in June, but said the city wasn't fully aware of how dire its financial circumstances were at the time.

"This is still a city where every police officer counts," he said.

Redd had harsh words for union leaders in the city, claiming that yesterday was the result of months of inaction and fear tactics.

"We are operating in a culture of disbelief, that on the ninth hour, some truckload of cash is going to pull up and save Camden," she said.

Redd said she remained hopeful that jobs could be saved and estimated that 100 police jobs and nearly all of the firefighters could be brought back if concessions are made. She said that the unions would vote on new proposals today, but declined to elaborate.

The public can no longer expect police service for vandalism, car accidents without injuries, and damage to property, Thomson said, as he will focus his remaining patrols on drugs and violence.

"We will not be pulling officers out of drug areas and violent areas to take reports," he said.

Back in North Camden, the dealers hanging outside of a corner store acknowledged that their business could get easier with fewer police, but also a little more dangerous.

"There's people out here all the time, so what does it matter if they lose 160 cops or not?" said a man named Daddy O. "At the end of the day, it just puts everyone's life at risk."