Camco police chief: Use minimal force

CAMDEN – With law enforcement under increasing scrutiny nationwide, the Camden County Police Department is launching an effort to instill this view in its officers:

Criminals are people, too.

"There is never a justifiable reason to dehumanize any person," Chief Scott Thomson wrote to his officers Monday in a letter that announced a new mentoring program.

"The importance of using the minimal level of force to control a threat or affect an arrest cannot be over-emphasized," wrote the chief.

He described the program, to formally begin Wednesday, as "ongoing mentoring exercises ... to further sharpen your communication skills, de-escalation techniques and ethical awareness."

Thomson said his department, which replaced a troubled city force in May 2013, has developed a culture that prioritizes service to the community. But he said in an interview, "If we don't maintain some sort of daily exercise of that culture, time will take over and things will revert to the way they once were."

In the letter, Thomson praised the performance of his department, now approaching its second anniversary.

He noted Camden County officers have arrested 485 people for illegally possessing weapons and have responded to 3,825 calls for a person with a gun since May 2013. He also noted his department's officers were the targets of 245 aggravated assaults.

"In response to these dangerous encounters, no officer has discharged his or her service weapon," noted Thomson.

Police have fired weapons under other circumstances. In January 2014, an officer shot a pit bull that was tied to a pole outside an East Camden school. The dog, which had bitten two students a short time earlier, was shot because its restraint was loosening, officials said.

Thomson said the department, has a complaint rate of .006 percent after more than 15,000 arrests. That represents 98 claims of excessive force and 97 complaints about an officer's demeanor.

The complaints include at least one federal lawsuit, brought in connection with an June 2014 foot chase and arrest that left a city man paralyzed. Beth Baldinger, an attorney who filed the suit, declined to comment on the new effort.

The department forwards all excessive-force complaints for review by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, noted Deputy Chief Joseph Wysocki. He added an "early warning system" looks for indicators that officers might not be following the department's policies.

Bill Wiley, president of FOP Lodge 218, endorsed the mentoring effort for his union's members.

"It identifies problems sooner and it helps the officers," he said. "It really enhances what the officers are capable of doing."

Thomson said the program's curriculum was developed over several months by department members and outside experts.

He said the upcoming effort will also help officers strengthen their relationship with the community — "the most important component and tool for us in reducing crime."

Angry protests over police conduct elsewhere likely reflect a poor relationship between officers and residents, Thomson suggested.

"I think what's been happening in these highly publicized cases further underscores the importance of the culture within an organization," he said.

"If people don't feel police officers respect them or treat them with dignity, when a critical incident does occur, what you're seeing is a reaction to years of mistreatment."

"Calm is contagious," said Thomson. "So is stupid."

Reach Jim Walsh at jwalsh@courierpostonline.com or (856) 486-2646. Tweet him @jimwalsh_cp