to generous union contracts. According to CNN the corruption had also "rendered the existing agency unfixable." On August 2, 2011, the City of Camden and Camden County announced that the city police department would be disbanded in favor of a new county police force. Well-known law enforcement executive John Timoney was retained to develop an organizational and functional plan for the department. The creation of the county police force in place of the city force was expected to save between $14 and $16 million annually out of the $60 million budget of the city police department. Unlike the city police department it replaced, the new "county" department was not initially unionized. Savings were expected to come from reducing the fringe benefits that had been required under the city's union contract. The move was endorsed by the Mayor of Camden, Dana Redd, who indicated that the new police department would be more cost-effective, and that the high absentee rate of city officers had affected the former department's ability to keep the city safe. An official of the Camden Fraternal Order of Police, which represented city police officers, described the plan as "union busting" and called it "a recipe for disaster" that would replace experienced city officers with new personnel unfamiliar with the city. A community group known as the Citizens' Community Committee for Public Safety, along with the Camden Fraternal Order of Police, criticized the plan as being political, not practical. The mayor's political opponents also criticized the disbandment of the city's department. Disbandment On August 2, 2012, the city of Camden and Camden County announced that the department would be disbanded in favor of a new county police department, the Camden County Police Department. The new department took over for the Camden Police Department on May 1, 2013. Like other county-wide police forces in the nation, this new department will be available to any other municipality in the county who wishes to disband its police forces and join the county police district. Special Operations squad The Special Operations squad coordinated specialized resources to aid police in daily field activities and special occurrences. The CPD operated the following forces: K-9 Unit S.W.A.T. team Special Victims Unit Domestic Violence Unit Auto Squad Detective Bureau HIDTA Anti-Crime Partnership Marine Bureau Mounted Horse Unit Smash Team Unit Tactical Negotiations Unit (TNT) Patrol Division North Patrol Bureau South Patrol Unit Central References External links Official