2006 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA   INFORMATION

January 13, 2006

Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi, New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison, Camden Chief Operating Officer Randy Primas and Camden Public Safety Commission Chairman Charles Rogovin announced today that police management executive Robert L. Stewart of Tallahassee, Fla., has been appointed to lead the Camden Police Department in Camden, N.J.

A former longtime police chief and past Executive Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Stewart, 58, has served as lead consultant on projects for the Dallas Police Department, Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department, Louisville (Ky.) Metro Police Department and for the U.S. Department of Justice, among others.

Stewart brings to the job experience in police operations and management, having risen to the rank of Captain during a 20-year career with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., before becoming a police chief in Florida.

"The goal of our national search was to find the best, most qualified person for the job, someone who is on the cutting edge of best police practices in the United States," Sarubbi said. "I believe Bob Stewart has the experience, skills, personality and character to help the Camden Police Department be the best it can be. The objective is clear: make Camden safer for those who live, work and visit here."

"I look forward to working not only with the fine men and women of the police department, but also with the city's officials, residents and business owners, to improve public safety in the city," Stewart said.

Stewart's official title will be Interim Supercession Executive, appointed pursuant to Attorney General Harvey's March 2003 directive for Prosecutor Sarubbi to supercede the management of the Camden Police Department. The state will provide funding to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office to fund Stewart's position.

Stewart will replace Camden Police Chief Edwin J. Figueroa, who assumed the department's top post following the state supercession directive. Figueroa has announced his retirement, effective Feb 1., after a distinguished career with the department. With Figueroa leading the department, Uniform Crime Report (UCR) offenses in Camden declined 16 percent in 2005 to their lowest level in more than two decades years. The decrease included a 30 percent drop in homicides, at a time when other cities in the region experienced sharp spikes in homicides.

"On behalf of the people of Camden City and Camden County, I thank and commend the chief for his many years of dedicated and meritorious service to the city," Sarubbi said. "Chief Figueroa has brought tremendous credibility to the chief's office with his character, skills and commitment. The chief has built a solid foundation.
Hamblin remains incarcerated at the Camden County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail set during an arraignment today before Superior Court Judge Samuel D. Natal.

"I look forward to working closely with Mr. Stewart to capitalize on the positive momentum of 2005 and to move the department forward," Sarubbi continued.

Following his 22-year career with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., Stewart was recruited in 1991 to join the Tallahassee Police Department to become a police major. The following year, he was selected as chief of the Ormond Beach (Fla.) Police Department. Stewart served in that position until 1997, when he became Assistant Executive Director of NOBLE, headquartered in Alexandria, Va. He became NOBLE Executive Director in 1998 and held that position until 2000, when he began a consulting practice.

Stewart served as Director of Training for the Louisville Metro Police Department in 2004 and 2005, assisting in the merger of the former Jefferson County and Louisville police departments. From May to September 2005, Stewart served as Interim Public Safety Director at Rutgers University's Newark campus. Stewart was also a member of the advisory board for the New Jersey State Police Profiling Training Project.

As head of the Camden Police Department, Stewart will lead an organization of 423 sworn officers and 85 civilian staff. The department undertook a reorganization last fall to establish a geographically based deployment and enforcement effort centered on close collaboration with residents and businesses. The reorganization was based on a recommendation from the Camden Public Safety Commission, a Blue Ribbon Panel of law enforcement experts and Camden residents. Attorney General Harvey appointed the commission in late 2004 to review Camden Police Department operations. The panel's final report, including additional recommendations, is expected to be released next month.

Sarubbi noted that there are a number of promising, young commanding officers in the Camden Police Department who may very well make fine police chiefs in the future.

"The Camden Police Department is a proud organization with many fine, fine officers," Sarubbi stated. "Working with Bob Stewart gives those officers an opportunity to get even better."

Sarubbi called on all area residents and officials to support Stewart, the Camden Police Department and the city as Camden embarks on an unprecedented revitalization effort.