Camden Police Chief did an Excellent Job and was a Great Partner with FMS

He did an excellent job, and I am sorry to see him go. He was a great partner of Fairview Main Street roped in by Sue, the previous executive director. Because he was very hands on, FMS was able to demand a better police presence in Fairview than it had previously last year when rotations started. It was also important for the business community, because they received crime information and learned ways to avoid crime.

Inquirer Editorial: Camden's Police Chief
Another step back
Tue, Jul. 22, 2008

After only seven months on the job, Camden Police Chief Edward Hargis has decided to step down and leave the troubled department in limbo once again.

His sudden decision to depart is disappointing and will leave the department facing its sixth leadership change in six years.

This comes amid escalating violence in the impoverished city of 79,000 residents. So far this year, Camden has had 32 homicides, compared with 42 for all of 2007.

Hargis, 44, plans to retire from the force, effective Sept. 1, to take an undisclosed job in the private sector. It is believed to be a better-paying position, but he hasn't said.

This should have been a difficult decision for Hargis, a 21-year veteran and former deputy chief of the Camden force. He says it was in the best interest of his family.

Family should always come first, but this is a bitter pill for a city with one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country.

Hargis became the city's top cop in January. Since then, he has helped stabilize the force, boost morale and restore public confidence.

Hargis had the right background and experience to garner support from the rank-and-file and union leaders. That helped squash the type of bickering that occurred previously when outsiders were chosen to lead the department.

The Police Department appeared headed in the right direction with Hargis overseeing day-to-day operations, while interim civilian police director John Huertas handled policy and budget matters.

By most accounts, the two worked well together, realigning and reorganizing the 500-member department. They implemented a strategy to deploy more officers to high-crime areas during peak hours.

In May, the department kicked off a summer-long anti-violence campaign, "Caring for Camden," that linked the city's residents with social-service providers, and business and religious leaders.

The crime strategy has yielded mixed results. But Hargis deserves credit for seeking to make a dent in crime with tactics to get more illegal weapons off the streets, enforce a curfew for minors and target neighborhood crime to improve the quality of life for the people of Camden.

The state took over the department after Chief Robert Allenbach was ousted in 2003. The Attorney General's Office put the department under the supervision of the county Prosecutor's Office. Since then, it's been like a revolving door at the top.

Now, the state needs to work closely with Mayor Gwendolyn Faison and other stakeholders to quickly name a permanent chief. The best person, whether from inside the department or not, must be found to effectively fight crime in the city.