Camden Council opposes hiring of police director
After a string of heated disagreements - including table-slamming - during Tuesday's meeting, Camden City Council rejected, 4-2, a resolution to approve the hiring of a retired state police major as the city's police director.
After a string of heated disagreements - including table-slamming - during Tuesday's meeting, Camden City Council rejected, 4-2, a resolution to approve the hiring of a retired state police major as the city's police director.
The resolution appointing Lanuel J. Ferguson, 59, as director of the Camden Police Department was presented at the meeting as a way to go back to the process that Council President Frank Moran contends should have taken place before Mayor Dana L. Redd made her decision.
City Attorney Marc Riondino, however, said that a provision in the municipal code allows the mayor to appoint someone to fill a vacancy.
"The framework has been set up since 2008," Riondino said about the police director position. Louis Vega left the post in 2009.
On Monday, Redd faced strong criticism for her decision to appoint Ferguson. Community leaders said that the city does not have the money to pay the $100,000 annual salary and that a civilian position to oversee the department's budget and administrative and policy initiatives adds an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
"It doesn't make sense," Councilwoman Marilyn Torres yelled as she slammed her hand on the table, "to hire a $100,000 director!"
She added that other departments in City Hall were short-staffed and suffering.
"The little people need to be hired!" she exclaimed to some applause in the room.
In Council's packed chambers, residents streamed one by one to the microphone. About half disagreed with Redd's move to hire Ferguson.
"Where is the money being squeezed from?" asked Cramer Hill resident and activist Mary Cortes.
She questioned hiring a man who already makes close to $90,000 in his state police pension.
"Give it to me. I'll do it for $20,000, and I'll do a better job budgeting," she said.
Other residents, though, including Gloria Smith of Parkside, said Camden's crime problem is so bad that any different approach to fighting crime is welcome.
"We need to try everything we can," she told Council.
Ferguson is expected to also serve as the administration's representative on the Camden County Police Committee on Regionalization. Police Chief Scott Thomson will focus on day-to-day operations and deployment. Both will report to the mayor.
City spokesman Robert Corrales said the commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs has 10 days to review Council's vote on the hiring of Ferguson. Administration officials will wait to hear from DCA on what action, if any, they need to take. In the meantime, though, "he's still on board," Corrales said.
At Tuesday's meeting, Council also heard from community residents who expressed support for the creator of Camden's District Council Collaborative Boards, which consist of volunteers who work to address public safety and quality of life issues. Angel Osorio was laid off from her job as the community justice director with the county Prosecutor's Office, where she ran several public-safety youth programs and oversaw a community policing effort.
Council passed a resolution Tuesday requesting that the administration hire Osorio as a civilian working in the Police Department with a similar job description.
Also passed was a first-reading ordinance for a newly revised business curfew. This time, the big changes are specific exemptions for gas stations and pharmacies.