CAMDEN COPS ARE RIGHT TO REACH OUT

Building trust between residents and police officers is the key to
stopping crime.

Violence and crime have been part of Camden for so long now that
only the city's very oldest residents can remember when the city was
a thriving business center where you could leave your doors unlocked at night.

Thursday, at a meeting with police and community members to kick off
a new anti-crime initiative, resident Naomi Scott summed up her
feelings about the city's crime in a way that most residents and
police officers probably feel: "I'm getting tired."

Scott, whose mother was robbed walking home from church two years
ago, has every reason to be tired of the drugs, gangs, thieves and
other assorted ills that make the city unsafe for those who call it home.

There's no easy answer to stopping crime in the city. A combination
of social and economic forces that affect the entire nation play
into why crime has been so widespread for so long in the city.

That said, we're glad to see police officials reaching out, looking
for any way they can to unite the community and create ties between
neighbors and organizations that can help. The fledgling youth
soccer program, for instance, can provide thousands of city kids
with something to do after school and on weekends for part of the
year. Giving them a place to go and something fun to do keeps them
off the streets and hopefully away from the people who might lure
them into crime. The police are wise to work with this program and
help recruit kids to play.

Most importantly, bonds must be forged between individual residents
and the neighborhood cops who patrol. Crime could be dramatically
reduced in the city if police got more information about criminals
and could stop crimes before they happen. Residents know who the
criminals are, where they live and what they do.

They have the power to reclaim their neighborhoods by helping police
with information, but it takes more than just a few willing to stick
their necks out once in a while. Everyone in each neighborhood needs
to be empowered, and police must work to make that happen
by meeting people, talking to them regularly to build trust.

Sadly, a mantra of "Don't snitch" pervades Camden and cities across
the country. It's a message pushed by those involved in gangs and
drug dealing meant to create an atmosphere of fear in which
criminals can thrive. If witnesses never talk, they can commit
crimes day after day without fear.

Meetings such as the one held Thursday at Rutgers-Camden are one
small way police can start to get their opposing message out. Over
the next few months, the police department plans to hold more events
aimed at letting residents know what services the police offer and
building relationships.

In a city with so many negative economic forces at play that drive
young men and women into crime, the police and those residents who
are tired of the crime face an uphill battle. But working together,
they absolutely can change their neighborhoods and change the
city.The police are right to make every effort, including hosting
meetings and wide open panel discussions, to build trust and open
dialogue with residents.