The signatures collected by the Citizens Community Committee for Public Safety support altering the police ordinance to say: "There is hereby created and maintained in, for and by the City of Camden a Police Department. . . ."
As Williamson sees it, "this preempts any abolishment of the city police department because this says the police departments should be maintained by the people."
A county police initiative that would dissolve the existing department and rehire no more than 49 percent of city officers for the new force has been in the works since the summer, when Gov. Christie and the Camden County freeholders started pushing for shared services.
Hired as a consultant for the new force, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner John F. Timoney offered suggestions but few details. Ideally, Camden would have about 400 officers, Timoney's report said, but it did not address financing.
On Feb. 1, the committee hand-delivered 3,494 signatures to Municipal Clerk Luis Pastoriza. Under state law, if the group gathered signatures amounting to 15 percent of the city turnout in last November's general election - or 970 people - and overcame likely legal challenges, the city would be required to put the matter before voters and abide by the outcome.
The municipal clerk found that though the petitions contained more than enough valid signatures from registered voters (1,997), they lacked proper affidavits and documentation on the "committee of petitioners."
Because each petition sheet lacked the names and addresses of all five committee members, the group will have to regather signatures, said New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center executive director Renee Steinhagen.
Group members are not worried.
"Whatever we need to do, we'll do," Bowman said.
