CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — More than 60 new Camden County Police officers took to the city streets to introduce themselves to residents after being sworn in on Tuesday.
“We are Camden! Mighty, mighty Camden!” the 62 new officers sang in call-and-response form during their first day on the job. They knocked on doors and greeted people on the street.
“Officers are walking around, talking getting to know you. keeping our community safe. All right?” Mayor Victor Carstarphen said over a bullhorn as he led the officers through neighborhoods.
“You are speaking the language that we talk about, working together with the community, the officers working together with government to make our community a better place, and it takes everybody.”
Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez said that policing had changed since the 1960s and 70s when residents knew the officers patrolling their neighborhoods. The introductory neighborhood meet-and-greets are meant to build those relationships.
“Get out of your car, get on foot, get out so they can they can touch you, see you and talk to you and get to know you on a first name basis,” said Rodriguez.
"You are a human being, not a machine that just drives around waiting for them to do something wrong. Engage them. Ask them how their day is going."
Rasheeda Boggs-Anderson was born and raised in Camden, and she was happy to see the officers on foot in the neighborhood.
“It is nice to see them on the ground walking the beat, and being able to communicate with them, even if it’s just, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ when they’re doing their job,” said Boggs-Anderson.
Jose Figueroa, 42, stopped to tell the mayor how pleased he was to see the officers knocking on doors.
“I have a 10-year-old daughter, so when I saw it, I thought something was going on, somebody is getting in trouble, somebody is getting locked up,” said Figueroa.
“But now my daughter can see it, just to say hello, just to say hi, introduce themselves and let them know they are part of us. There’s a human element. Whatever they get from us, the response, it’s cause and effect. You give them good, you get good.”
“I’m glad that we are doing this, walking out in the community and showing our faces, because it builds a trust with us and them to be able to walk on these streets,” said new officer David Barrientos on his first day.
“If something is going on, they will help us, [telling us] “He went that way” or stuff like that. Or if anything, we can help them. We will always be there for them, and knowing that they will be there for us, it just gives us a bunch of security.”
Barrientos called becoming a cop a lifelong dream.
“My father is a retired police officer from the Camden City Police Department,” he said. “Ever since I was young I always wanted to be a cop, seeing he is my hero.”