Over the past few weeks I’ve tried to display some balance amidst the celebratory coverage of the Camden County Police Force. I hope it is possible to celebrate the drop in crime while also acknowledging the politics played with both the department and its numbers over the past few years. More importantly, I think it’s critical to highlight the voices of those, particularly racial minorities, who are having a different experience with the police force. Part of the reason that is critical is that the troubles of Ferguson were underpinned by a lack of voice for that same population. That’s why I found the recent rush to legislation over crime cameras to be such good news, but also indicative of the difficultly we have in listening to vulnerable communities. 

To recap, a bill to put cameras on police vehicles was recently passed and signed into law in New Jersey. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty “sponsored the bill after an in-car camera captured his 2012 DWI arrest and provided evidence that lead to a dismissal of all charges.”

Sen. Don Norcross followed up the bill by introducing his own legislation to have policeman wear body cameras. These are powerful reforms, and have garnered a coalition with the African-American community. George Jackson, president of CWA Local 1084 and organizer of a Ferguson solidarity rally in Camden, has already come out in favor of the bill. 

Both Assemblyman Moriarty and Sen. Norcross deserve kudos for moving quickly and decisively on this issue. This is the type of reform that can build confidence in a new police force. It’s great to see. 

Photo by Jason Laday of the SJ Times

But it’s also troubling. It’s troubling that these reforms only came about because of privilege. For Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, it took his own run in with the law, false accusation, and eventual exoneration to do something about the issue. Camden residents are all too familiar with these tactics. The aforementioned George Jackson started off his Camden town hall on racial and economic injustice by asking how many times each person had been pulled over by the police. He had been pulled over 58 times, but only given two tickets. Compare that to your own number. Speaker after speaker stood up and told their own stories of inappropriate police behavior. Behavior that was not taken seriously because of the lack of evidence.    

Why is it not enough that Camden residents have these experiences? Why can’t we hear their voices? Why does reform only come after an Assemblyman is falsely accused? 

These reforms deserve to be lauded. It is wonderful that Assemblyman Moriarty had a personal experience that made him realize the value of cameras. It is similarly laudable that Sen. Norcross saw what happened in Ferguson and saw the need for individual cameras. But it is indicative of how we treat our most vulnerable communities that local voices were not enough to spark this reform. 

Cameras come when an Assemblyman is falsely accused. A Camden resident facing the same challenge is too rarely heard.

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Tags: police