CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey U.S. Senator Cory Booker said the combination of technology and community policing has made Camden a crime-fighting example for the nation.
Booker toured the Camden County Police Department's real time tactical operation intelligence center on Friday as he promoted his legislation to help police departments acquire crime-tracking technology.
"Camden is the gold standard, and in many ways what they're doing here is so innovative and cutting edge that they are providing an example for our country," Booker said.
Violent crime in Camden has gone down sharply in the last decade, with a 90% reduction in homicides since the county force began Camden patrols in 2013.
Inside the tactical center, police coordinate real-time information from a gunshot detection system with drone video and license plate readers to give officers a faster response to crime. Computers in patrol cars dispatch the unit closest to a crime location.
"What I tell our residents all the time is if you don't see a cop out there, we're still watching, because we have cameras out there," Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez told KYW Newsradio.
Booker and elected officials watched from the rooftop of police headquarters as officers demonstrated how drones are utilized: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ‘Star Trek!’" Booker exclaimed.
Booker and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy have introduced the bipartisan Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Act, or VICTIM Act, which would provide $360 million in federal grants for police departments to upgrade technology.
"What I see here just blows my mind about how far they've come both in technology, which is vital, I now see, but more important than that, it is really the people that work here and the philosophy and the values that they're bringing to the community," Booker told reporters.
