Over the last 12 years, the Camden County Police Department has brought violent crime down to historically low levels in Camden City. The approach always has been to work with the community and look to build bridges wherever we can to create a safer place for residents. Over the years, we noticed that we started to hit a wall when it came to making progress on crime reduction, so Chief Gabriel Rodriguez and my colleagues wanted to examine some of the root causes of crime to start finding preempted solutions to continue the progress.
As the pandemic was winding down, we were noticing a disconcerting trend in Camden City — rampant truancy and absenteeism issues among the student body. This was not a matter that was unique to our individual school district, but it was a nationwide challenge, impacting schools throughout the country. Looking back on it, more students unplugged from their virtual classroom than we could have possibly imagined and here in Camden, the number was close to 1,000 kids on the streets and out of school. In short, approximately almost 15% of the student body had cut the cord.
In the leadup to 2023, we were hearing from our partners in law enforcement and the Camden County Police Department that more school aged youth were in danger of committing a crime or being victimized because of their time being spent on the streets instead of in the classroom. Based on this strategic analysis of crime trends, as a community, we wanted to act to attack this problem by re-engaging with those students through a variety of programs that are aimed to target the most vulnerable youth in the city. We also knew that this strategy would reduce crime by focusing on reunification to the classroom, workforce investment, trauma informed care and introducing social workers to diffuse and mediate challenges for residents.
We needed willing partners that have a track record of success with youth and young adults in Camden City. Based on that, we engaged Hopeworks, who has a 93% retention rate in keeping this population engaged and on track to attain a degree, make a salary and move into a career field. We recognize that most kids who have gone down the wrong path don’t want to be involved in illegal activity and would much rather be working toward a career and job that will fill them with a sense of pride and keep them safe. Through funders, we were able to secure $250,000 to open up seats for more than 75 young adults in the Hopeworks program to get them off the streets.
In addition, we brought on a team of social workers to the CCPD to identify and remedy problems that police don’t have the bandwidth to work on during the course of their shifts through the Center for Family Services. This group is working day and night in the field and taking walk ins from the lobby of the police administration building to get the homeless sheltered, to provide treatment for those with substance abuse issues and to assist residents with mental health services.
The upshot for our community has been immeasurable, as we have already seen a vast decline — almost 40% — in calls for service for mental and behavioral health crises from 2023 to 2025.
That said, the school district has also been working with us on truancy and absenteeism by employing the Center for Family Services who are providing case managers for specific justice impacted youth. This was also a perfect connection back to the city’s reengagement center at the former Wiggins School site in the Bergen Square neighborhood that has now become a community outpost for public health, financial literacy, our open gym program and our restorative justice hub. This program has allowed us to ensure that the members of our community most in need of outreach are getting it. I would like to thank Superintendent Katrina McCombs for her assistance in getting this program off the ground and making it an asset for our neighbors.
On the same subject, the school district and charter schools have also been working with therapists in the schools to assist children through the Thrive Network to manage challenges occurring outside of the classroom. Based on the city’s past, we have an inordinate number of kids dealing with trauma, anxiety and other mental health maladies. Allowing them to engage with a professional is extremely beneficial for them to not only learn, but it provides them with coping mechanisms that will be instrumental to helping them stay in school as they get older.
Based on these new programs and initiatives, we are drilling down on the root causes of crime and providing the resources and support our youth and young adults need to stay out of the streets and become successful members of society. This is one of the reasons we saw Camden City record a 40 year low in homicides this year and a 40% reduction in shootings. There are staggering correlations between these programs and the reduction in crime in the city and county, but police officers can only get us so far. Knowing that, when we provide them with the resources they need, we can meet the mission and make sure we keep making the city a safer place.
Louis Cappelli Jr.is the Camden County Commissioner Director and a partner in the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, Cappelli, Tipton & Taylor.
