Camden, NJ to lay of Half Cops

[nutz4utwo]

Maybe they finally just gave up...?

http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/17/news...dex.htm?hpt=T2

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- There will be fewer cops patrolling the streets of Camden, N.J., come Tuesday.

Struggling to close a $26.5 million budget gap, the city with the second highest crime rate in the nation is laying off 163 police officers. That's nearly 44% of the force.

And Camden will also lose 60 of its 215 firefighters. Some people with desk jobs will be demoted and reassigned to the streets.

The mayor's office says that the cuts will not affect public safety.

...continued

I bet crime stats will go down, as there will be less reports filed, less people arrested, less convictions. Might help the city's image.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[kb2wji]

Camden is bad news. Never stop at a stop sign in Camden. It's a scary city. I feel bad for the hard working officers who are being laid off. I also feel bad for the decent (no matter how few) citizens that will have to pay that price.

[Hiram25]

Well, if these cuts will not affect public safety, why not get rid of all of them?

[Hiram25]

That's like saying we're getting rid of half of the garbage trucks, but it won't effect your trash pick-up! Hog Wash!

[dukalmighty]

Do they really think that people are really that stupid,not only will it effect civilians safety and traffic accident reports etc. It will also effect Officer safety,less backup Officers on high risk calls.At this rate sumpin tells me people are gonna wanta know where their tax dollars are going,maybe its time the Mayor and other City leaders took a pay cut,how about minimum wage