The Camden Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Camden

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. It consists of 460 police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

s, and is the second-largest police force in southern New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 after Atlantic City. Since 2005, the State of New Jersey has operated the Camden Police Department; this takeover will expire in 2012.

Camden consistently ranks among the cities in the United States with the highest crime rate based on FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 statistics. In 2008, Camden had 2,333 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents, compared to the national rate of 455. Camden has been ranked America's "most dangerous city" in 2004, 2005, and 2009 by CQ Press

CQ Press

CQ Press, a division of SAGE Publications, publishes books, directories, periodicals, and electronic products on American government and politics, with an expanding list in international affairs and journalism and mass communication....

, which ranks cities based on reported murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft data.

Special Operations squad

The Special Operations squad coordinates specialized resources to aid police in daily field activities and special occurrences. The CPD operates the following forces:

• K-9 Unit
• S.W.A.T. team
  SWAT
  A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
  
  
• Special Victims Unit
  Special Victims Unit
  The Special Victims Unit is the name of a specialized division within some police departments. The detectives in this division typically investigate crimes involving sexual assault, the very young, or the very elderly, as well as any crime loosely connected with any of the three.-New York City...
  
  
• Domestic Violence Unit
• Auto Squad
• Detective Bureau
• HIDTA
  High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
  The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program is a drug-prohibition enforcement program run by the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy...
  
  
• Anti-Crime Partnership
• Marine Bureau
• Mounted Horse Unit
• Smash Team Unit
• Tactical Negotiations Unit (TNT)
• Patrol Division North
• Patrol Bureau South
• Patrol Unit Central

Drug enforcement corruption probe

An ongoing federal investigation alleges that former Camden Police Officer Kevin Parry and four other officers planted drugs during illegal searches, pocketed money, and framed suspects. Kevin Parry has pleaded guilty in the case, admitting a role in charges being overturned or dismissed in 185 drug cases.