Defund police? People looking at Camden as an example. Wrong!

There is a movement around the country to defund the police. Of course that's a radical and dangerous concept that would have disastrous results, especially in urban centers.

Urban centers like Camden did something radical and more effective seven years ago, when they dismantled the city's police department for a county police force with less union control, more oversight and the fresh approach of community policing.

The results are very promising, but they did NOT defund the police! In an interview on Fox 29's Good Day Philadelphia on Monday, Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli who helped found the county police department, said the police department is about 70% of the city's budget. SEVENTY PERCENT of a city's budget is hardly defunding.

While modeling Camden's new approach to policing and lessening the power of a local police union might get better results, it wasn't defunded by any stretch of the imagination. Cappelli also told Fox 29 that new officers must go door to door to introduce themselves to the people in the area they patrol. It may sound a little odd and something we're not used to, but if you're looking to build trust in the community between citizens and the police, it sounds like a good start and certainly worth a try in other towns and cities in New Jersey.

Keeping the peace anywhere in the world is never free, but it's better that the free-for-all that we've been watching across the country.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.