CAMDEN, N.J. (Reuters) – Zsakhiem James, a police captain in Camden, New Jersey – once considered the most dangerous city in the United States – sees every encounter with a resident as an opportunity to build “social currency” to prevent or solve a future crime.
That’s why during a tour this week of Federal Street, a main thoroughfare through Camden’s business district, he preached to two young officers the importance of forging personal ties on their beat.
“We try to meet people in the absence of crisis,” James told Reuters. “That’s one of the things that helps us build that social currency. We make those deposits in the community where when things happen we can make a withdrawal on that trust.”
Crime in Camden, a city of 74,000 on the Delaware River east of Philadelphia, has dropped since it dissolved its police force and rebuilt it in 2013 with a focus on community engagement. Officials are quick to point out Camden’s protests over the death of George Floyd remained peaceful, with some officers taking part, while there was looting in Philadelphia.
The force has earned plaudits from former U.S. President Barack Obama and is drawing attention as a possible model of reform after the death of Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Proposals to rethink policing (here) range from banning chokeholds to dismantling police departments outright.
To be sure, some critics say the drop in crime in Camden has as much to do with the hiring of more officers than a softer approach, and that the force has not been fully transparent with its disclosures. One