AUTHORITIES IN CAMDEN MUST FIGHT DRUG TRADE

Bringing down the staggering murder rate means focusing every
resource on breaking up criminal organizations.

Despite reductions in shootings, assaults, arsons and other serious
crimes in Camden over the last year, the city remains a deadly place.
That much is certain following a grim January in which 10 people were
killed.

That puts Camden's murder rate -- 1.4 for every 10,000 residents --
far ahead of major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago,
Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The January murders were all confined to two parts of the city --
East Camden and the neighboring Parkside and Whitman Park areas.

It appears clear, especially from the manner in which some of the
murders happened, that there's something going on in those
neighborhoods with the gangs and drug dealers. Eight of the 10
murders were drug related, officials say.

That's where the focus of the Camden police department, state police
and county and federal investigators needs to be. These criminal
gang/drug organizations need to be attacked head on with the full
force of every law enforcement agency the city can muster. These
criminal organizations aren't fearful enough of the police. They
feel empowered to murder each other, sometimes in broad daylight, and
believe they won't be caught. City residents are left to suffer and
worry every day about leaving their homes.

Camden has a new police chief, department veteran Ed Hargis, who is
already making moves to attack longstanding crime issues.

Conflict resolution organizations such as Operation Ceasefire that
can counsel teens and young men about solving their disagreements
without guns is a good preventive measure that's part of what Camden
needs.

But there also has to be a fear among the criminal organizations that
raising their profile through murders and other street violence will
not go unpunished. The police, the county prosecutor's office, DEA,
FBI and other law enforcers in the city need to recommit every
resource they can to go after the drugs and gangs, which are at the
root of so many of the city's murders and shootings. And why not
bring back a bigger state police presence? Dismantling the criminal
organizations, no small task, to be sure, will make the streets safer.