Venegas out in Camden; Milgram names police chief, acting director

Originally Published January 8, 2008; Page 1A
By LEO STRUPCZEWSKI
Courier-Post Staff

Saying it was the "right, next step for Camden," Attorney General Anne Milgram named a new chief of police Monday and replaced the state's civilian-appointed executive.

Arturo Venegas, the city's police supersession executive since August 2006, resigned from his position during a morning meeting with Milgram and Camden Chief Operating Officer Theodore Z. Davis. Two changes followed. Edward G. Hargis, a 21-year police veteran, was promoted to chief of police. Hargis, who had been deputy chief since 2004, will be the city's first chief in nearly two years.


Milgram also announced that Carmelo John Huertas Jr., public safety director at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, will assume the department's director role on an interim basis. Huertas has taken a leave of absence from his UMDNJ post. He will likely serve a three- to six-month term, Milgram said, until she and Davis can fill the role permanently. Reached Monday, Venegas said he will not be a candidate for the position.

"It's clear we had to make some decisions about going forward," Milgram said. "The reality of state government is you can't move things overnight, but the truth is we like to get things done as quickly as we can."

Milgram said she made the decision to promote Hargis after meeting with Davis and former East Orange Police Director Jose Cordero. Cordero oversaw a dramatic three-year drop in his city's crime rate before recently being appointed the state's coordinator of gang, gun and violent crime activity. Milgram has lauded his use of technology.

Monday's moves answered repeated calls from union and city officials for a police chief while satisfying the state's desire for a civilian leader who, for now, will report directly to Milgram. Milgram said Hargis will also report to her.

Hargis' official title is interim chief of police, but, Milgram said, "for all intents and purposes, he is police chief."

Under normal circumstances, a civil service test would be given, allowing others to apply for the position. That will not happen, Milgram said.

"Hopefully, what has transpired, I guess, over the last 24 hours will be beneficial to the police department, the officers and the city," said John Williamson, president of FOP Lodge 1. "This is the beginning of a long process."

Hargis and Huertas, who start their new positions today, said they will focus efforts on community and intelligence-led policing, problem-solving with residents and furthering the department's level of professionalism.

"How do we bring all this about in a short period of time?" Huertas asked. "Just putting all the components together is going to take time."

To address that, Huertas said his and Hargis' first order of business will be to meet with each other.

As police director, Huertas' responsibilities include setting departmentwide policy, establishing a table of organization and making personnel decisions. Hargis will handle the department's day-to-day operations.

Since September 2006, Hargis has overseen the department's criminal investigations and professional standards bureaus. Prior to that, he spent a year commanding the operations bureau and a year commanding the special operations, investigative and administrative bureaus.

He has recently had meetings with East Orange Police Chief Michael Cleary to discuss technology and equipment improvements.

Milgram has vowed to help Camden in that area.

"They'll see some of (the improvements) in 2008, some of it in 2009," she said.

Hargis takes over the more than 400-person department at a time when some officers had complained about a lack of internal communication, said Bill Murray, president of the Police Supervisor's Union.

Without being asked about the situation, Hargis vowed to change that.

He said the department will return to using CompStat, a crime mapping program that had been used in 2005. Division commanders reported every 28 days to assess progress and evaluate problems. There were immediate results, Hargis said. Crime dropped and morale rose.

"Unfortunately, from the blue ribbon panel and the supersession, we got away from those meetings," he said. "(Our officers are) looking for direction, they're looking for specific assignments and a mission to go out there and make Camden a safer city."

For months now, Venegas has watched himself fall out of favor with city council, residents and the police department.

Venegas said Monday he knew when he took the job "it was going to be a difficult task."

But he brushed off the criticisms, he said, to continue with his job. He saw himself as someone who championed the department and its need for new equipment, while overseeing several areas of progress recommended by the state.

In late June, the state backed out of its agreement to pay Venegas and acting Camden County Prosecutor Joshua Ottenberg was left with few options. One option was to pay the department's executive with the city's forfeiture funds -- money seized from drug arrests -- but council balked at the idea. Council twice refused to create a director's position or transfer the funds to the prosecutor's office.

And in mid-November, when it was learned that Venegas had not been paid for three months, Council President Angel Fuentes seemed to dismiss concern over the situation.

"I don't think he's working," Fuentes said at the time. "Because I hear he's never at the police department."

Days before the comments, Fuentes, Venegas and other city officials attended a meeting at St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral in East Camden. Milgram was also in attendance. Members of Camden Churches Organized for People packed the church, pressing Milgram to bring a change in leadership to the police department and commit to a time frame. When she didn't, members of the crowd booed. Others waved signs that read, "Keep Your Promise!"

"We need leadership immediately," Monsignor Robert McDermott told a charged-up crowd.

Venegas sat silently in the pews. All the while, the department's union leaders pointed to his shortcomings.

When council approved a resolution to create the police director's position on Dec. 11 -- a move Milgram said allowed Monday's changes -- Murray was there.

If there a director was needed, he said, it shouldn't be Venegas.

"He's been here a year -- he's never given us a sense of what he wants to achieve," Murray said at the time.

During Venegas' tenure, complaints also surfaced about officer deployment, leadership skills and communication with superior officers.

Under Venegas, the city lost its distinction as "America's Most Dangerous City" in 2006. But homicides, aggravated assaults and rapes rose in 2007.

The city finished 2007 with 45 homicides. There were 33 in 2006.

When asked if he would apply for the police director's position, Venegas said no.

He said his girlfriend moved to North Carolina about a month ago and he said he will probably move to be closer to her.

"Initially, when I first came here, that was the idea," he said, referring to the director's position. "After a while and all of the malarkey and things, very honestly, it was not very appealing.

"Sometimes, the people you're trying to help are fighting you the most," he said.

Venegas said he will stay on for 30 days to help the new team in its transition period.

On Monday, Davis said Venegas was "just one hell of a cop." Milgram echoed the sentiments.

"I think, and this is an important point to make, I think when times are tough and things are not always going great in a city or a police department, a lot of people rush out and there aren't enough people who are willing to rush in to help out," she said. "Art was one of the people who was willing to rush in."

But with the creation of the director's position, Milgram said, it was clear the city was headed in a different direction. She had "a lot of conversations" with Davis about the department's leadership and, when Venegas met with the two Monday, he knew that was the case.

"This was the right path to go on," Milgram said.

Reach Leo Strupczewski at (856) 317-7828 or lstrupczewski@courierpostonline.com