By: Dennis Beyer
The badges above are from the City of Camden. They entered my collection of "City Badges" after the Police Department was formally dissolved. That took place May 1, 2013.
Camden made quite a bit of news in the years before disbanding. Murders were sky high, and Crime was staggering. The Police Department lost basic trust from the Citizen's they served. The agency was deemed "Unfixable."
To solve the City's problem the Municipal Government started in 2011 with huge laying offs, and announcing the creation of a new "Camden County Police Department." All of the "old" officers were required to re-apply to the new Department.
Once the new "County Department" was established new badges were issued. The Set numbered 1034 found its way into the collectors World. Note the "City" Seal centered on the breast badge. Camden did not use the State Seal. Going back to the "Early Days" one can see the display of Camden's City Seal
The ancient badge at the very top is numbered 299. Above the numbers are the recessed markings: Camden Police, Camden, N. J. This shield dates back to the late 1890-1910 era. It is almost 3 inches in height with the "City Seal" at center point.
I am fortunate to have these items in my collection. They are under glass and displayed proudly on the walls of my Den.
