CAMDEN — In a year's time, Camden has boarded up more than 600 abandoned houses and demolished nearly 100 others - and a task force has discovered a corresponding drop in drug-related crime and fires as a result of the effort.
The task force, which a year ago began helping the city coordinate the demolition effort, has found a 56 percent drop in drug-related arrests in blocks where two or more empty houses were boarded up, and a 31 percent drop in drug-related arrests citywide.
During the same period, the fire department has seen an 11 percent drop in fires, officials said.
The task force, which is 40 members strong, met yesterday at Camden City Hall for the first time since Milton Milan was elected mayor. Milan made a brief appearance and pledged his support.
The task force was organized by the Camden Churches Organized for People, a union of some 23 churches throughout the city attended by more than 10,000 families.
The year-old task force consists of members from government, community and nonprofit organizations that have come together to help seal or demolish the vacant buildings, which make up about 10 percent of the city's housing stock. The group wants to get a handle on the exact number of vacant houses which blight nearly every city street and leave neighborhoods pockmarked with fire hazards, drug hot spots, and burned-out shells.
A study prepared by Camden Churches Organized for People found an 8.4 percent reduction in overall arrests in neighborhoods where 15 or more abandoned houses had been boarded or razed.
``Although overall crime in Camden did not change . . . the geographical location of that crime did change,'' the report said.
The drop in drug-related crime in blocks with more than two houses boarded up was 25 percent, said Sean Closkey, executive director of the St. Joseph's Carpenter Society. He said property values have gone up in those neighborhoods.
