The cities of Camden and Newark were forced to lay off more than 160 police officers each last year. Since then, arrest numbers have fallen and violent crime has risen. Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson, and others, blames the layoffs for the changes, but as the Star-Ledger reports, this blame may be misdirected.
Newark’s arrest rate dropped 16{74bbbd36a4df8b83bd1805c8c4f34bcc3063e84848f392c2fd8bb03fcdaa883e} from 2010 to 2011. In Camden, the rate fell 43{74bbbd36a4df8b83bd1805c8c4f34bcc3063e84848f392c2fd8bb03fcdaa883e}. Between the two cities, there were 32,703 arrests in 2010 and 25,012 in 2011. While police officials would have you believe this drop is due to fewer cops being available to execute the arrests, the arrest rate had actually been falling before the layoffs occurred.
According to the Star-Ledger, the arrest rates for both cities have fallen for the past 3 years in Newark and the past 2 in Camden. During these periods, “the number of shootings, homicides and robberies have risen” as well.
This means the trends were in effect before the layoffs and one can’t rush to assume the layoffs made things worse.
But Chief Thomson is suggesting exactly that. “Many organizations had layoffs. In one day, we had a decimation,” he said, blaming the problems on a lack of officers.
Everyone in the situation seems content to point fingers, with the spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s office remarking that the layoffs wouldn’t have been necessary had the union been more willing to compromise beforehand.
“Had there been furloughs, levels could have stayed a lot higher” said Paul Louriquet. “But this was what was decided amongst the ranks. It’s unfortunate that those were the decisions that were made.”
Despite murders being up and arrests down, the city of Newark is said to be making progress on their fight against gun violence. Police Director Samuel DeMaio said that this is due to the department focusing its efforts on gun seizures.
DeMaio also remarked, however, that with a smaller department, they are unable to investigate drugs and gangs, pointing out that his gang unit is 35{74bbbd36a4df8b83bd1805c8c4f34bcc3063e84848f392c2fd8bb03fcdaa883e} smaller than it was before the layoffs took place.
When the number of police is cut and arrests are also down, many people would assume that crime would naturally rise. But crime trends are often far more complex than this.
If you are accused of a criminal offense and arrested, you cannot assume that you will be treated with leniency simply because the city is experiencing tough financial times. On the contrary, because arrest numbers are down, the prosecutor would likely be more apt to make an example out of you.
Contact my offices today if you are charged with a criminal offense and in need of representation.