CITY ADDITIONS: L IS FOR LINDEN
Getting this badge was a stroke of luck. I already have a badge in my City Collection representing Linden, NJ. Another was not on the radar.
As luck would have it, another collector contacted me and offered this beauty. It took a nano second before I committed myself to taking it of his hands. It didn't take too long to place it in a display case and hang on the wall.
This is a rather large badge, almost four inches tall. There is a silver eagle on the top who isn't straining one bit to carry the gold finish shield. The letters are blue and look really sharp over the gold finish. At the bottom is a blue panel with the word "CHIEF" shining through in capital letters.
In the center is a multi colored State Seal from New Jersey. It adds a nice touch to a beautiful badge which I am now quite proud to have in my collection.
C is for CAMDEN.
This beauty comes from that beautiful City on the Delaware River. Across the River is another pretty town in Pennsylvania. That would be Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.
Before Camden and Philadelphia were connected, in 1926 by the Ben Franklin Bridge, someone wore badge # 97 pictured above. I have been told it is late 1800's. Old Ben Franklin was long gone. When he lived the fraternal twins ( Philly & Camden) traded farm products, and other materials. The boat was the main means of trading these goods.
In the late 1800's Camden was in the shadow "Philly," and took a back seat to the Pennsylvania metropolis. In New Jersey, Camden also took a back seat to Jersey City, Newark, and Trenton. Back then the bad guys did little to put Camden on the map as they were just ordinary thieves.
The Cop on the beat had a uniform, a gun, a big stick, and better still a big badge. This one is a monster. It is almost 4.00 inches tall. It just reads: "Camden Police - # 97." If the man wearing it yelled: "Police, Stop where you are," the bad guy probably did just that.
After the bridge opened the number of people going through Camden increased year after year. As many as 100,000 people drive over the bridge today. With the influx of this many people entering and staying this City grew - and so did crime. Camden finally got itself on the map.
Back in January 1990 there were frequent reports regarding drug dealers, KKK, and terrorists having shootouts on regular basis. Camden became a war zone.
In a major event the Camden County Prosecutor found himself alone one night facing the bad guys on the streets of the City of Camden. He said, 'he was attacked by hoodlums who wanted to get rid of him because of his tough stands against major crime.' He was after all a famous crime buster.
The druggies were in a Toyota. It was less than an army tank, but reported to have been armed with thugs using machine guns that riddled the Prosecutors' car with bullets..
He did not waver from this attack, but brought the fight to his attackers. He bravely stood, like The Lone Ranger, with his own pistol. He fired back, but without silver bullets. He let the bad guys know that they were in a fight.
During the repeated firing our prosecutor observed one of his bullets hit a bad guy. He said, "It made his head explode." Single handed he saved his own life, and became an instant hero.
After the smoke cleared there was an intense investigation. During the questioning Mr. Prosecutor admitted his story was a Hoax. He surrendered his gun, and his Job. With some help from some people He entered a Mental Hospital.
The real shootings continued in the City of Camden. At one point Camden became the "Murder Capital" of the United States. What an honor.
Present day Camden is a nightmare. The current police have more than their hands full. They deserve at a minimum: A sharp salute, our prayers, and maybe a larger bullet proof badge - like old #97.
