President Obama Appears In New Jersey, Praises Camden's Progress

Saying that just a few years ago, Camden was written off as “dangerous beyond redemption,” President Barack Obama praised the work done by the Camden County Police Department during a speech in Camden on Monday.

Speaking to about 300 residents and state and local officials at the Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden, Obama briefly mentioned a new policy that puts a limit on the ability of local police departments to acquire surplus military equipment through a federal program.

He also referenced the the findings of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing report, which was co-chaired by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.

However, much of his speech centered on the connection built between the Camden County Police Department and the community, and the progress in reducing crime that has come along with that in the two years since the department was established.

Obama said Camden can be an example for struggling communities throughout the country.

“Camden is showing it can be done,” Obama said. “I want America to show everyone around the world it can be done.”

However, he also said that real change isn’t only a law enforcement matter.

“If we as a society don’t expand opportunity to everyone who’s willing to work for it, then we’ll end up seeing conflicts between law enforcement and residents,” Obama said. “If we as a society can’t deal with problems of race, we can’t expect police departments to solve these problems.”

He said the country can’t just focus on problems as they come up and forget about them the following week, a reference to recent events such as the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and less than a month after riots erupted in Baltimore after a man died in police custody.

He said there needs to be a focus on the youth, making sure everyone knows they have an equal opportunity to succeed.

“It’s all pretty basic,” Obama said. “Everywhere I go, kids are kids. They’ll make mistakes, but there’s an inherent goodness in them. Some just don’t have the structures they need at home. We need to pick up the slack.”

He referred to Virginia Matias, a Camden resident whose mother was robbed at gunpoint.

“She didn’t leave Camden. She decided she wanted to become a cop,” Obama said. “And now she’s a proud member of the Camden County Police Department.”

Camden was recently designated as a “Promise Zone,” which gives the community an edge when it comes to federal grants to increase economic opportunity, reduce crime and improve public health, among other priorities identified by the community, White House officials said.

Promise Zones are high poverty communities in which the federal government and local leaders unite for improvement, including the reduction of violent crime, increasing economic activity and improving educational opportunities, among other goals.

Camden also accepted the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge last month. The challenge is aimed at ensuring all youth, including boys and young men of color, have opportunities to improve their life outcomes and overcome barriers to success.

The police department claims the City has seen a decrease in violent crime by about 28 percent, and that non-fatal shootings and shootings by homicide are both down nearly 50 percent.

At one time, Camden was known as the Most Dangerous City in America, and there are those who disagree on the positive outlook the city currently has.

The State Policemen’s Benevolent Association claims the county police department is misreporting or underreporting its numbers. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has voiced concerns about the sharp increase in arrests and summonses for low-level offenses in Camden since the new force took over.

Protesters also gathered outside the Camden County Police Department’s Real-Time Tactical Operational Intelligence Center while Obama met with Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson earlier in the day.

The protesters also claimed the president isn’t hearing the whole story on crime in Camden from the county police department.

Others called for justice for Tyimer Bright and Jameer Bullard, a pair of 18-year-olds killed in Camden days apart in April.

Thomson showed the president the department’s Eye in the Sky cameras, which are set up on streets throughout the city.