Camden County Police Earn Prestigious Award

Nearly a month after President Barack Obama praised the Camden County Police Department’s progress, the department has been recognized again.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden has awarded its Justice in Action Organizational Award for 2015 to the Camden County Police Department. Police Chief Scott Thomson will accept the award on behalf of the department at Catholic Charities’ annual Justice for All Dinner on Sept. 17 at the Adelphia Grand Ballroom in Deptford.

“We are proud that the Diocese is recognizing the Camden County Police Department for the strides they are making in the city of Camden,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “Not only has the Department transformed Camden, their approach to community policing and interaction with residents has become a model for the nation.”

Catholic Charities’ annual dinner each year honors organizations and individuals throughout the six South Jersey counties of the Diocese of Camden who advance the cause of justice in their communities.

The Camden County Police Department was chosen based on the work it has done over the last two years to improve public safety by “building a relationship of trust in the community,” organizers said.

“Our mission calls us to serve the most vulnerable in our Diocese. In its commitment to reducing violence in a city where 40 percent of residents live below the federal poverty level, the Camden County Police Department shares in that mission by protecting the vulnerable and cultivating peace,” said Kevin Hickey, executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden. “And they’ve done so in a way that strengthens city residents’ own ability to participate in that work.”