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New Union To Represent Camden Police Officers

By David Madden

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - The rank and file of the newly formed Camden County Police Department, which patrols the city of Camden, have narrowly approved a new union to represent them in contract talks with the county.

The acrimony between Lodge 1, which represented the now disbanded city force, and government officials is still evident. Many suggest the move to the county-run department was nothing short of union busting.

Camden County Freeholder Director Lou Cappelli would beg to differ:

"It was not about union busting because we knew from the beginning that this would be a unionized department," he said. "What it was about was fixing a public safety crisis that existed in the city."

Enter FOP Lodge 218, after a union election held last month. The FOP is also representing superior officers. No leaders have been elected, although the interim President hopes to get negotiations started on a new contract in short order.

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