Camden County Freeholders bringing in former N.Y. police director to help create countywide police force

The Camden County Freeholder Board is expected to hire a New York Police Department veteran to help build a county-wide police force.

The board will meet Thursday night, where the freeholders are planning to vote on a one-year contract for the Cordero Group, which will bring Jose Cordero, the former New York City Police Department Inspector, in to build the Camden County Metro Division.

Over his tenure as a law enforcement official, Cordero has gone from patrolman to the top law enforcement official in New Jersey, officials from Camden County said.

“The time has come to start the process of forming this department,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. “The details of the structure and the organization of the assets must be set and it is time to bring in a renowned law enforcement officer to facilitate and implement the construction of the Metro Division of the Camden County Police Department.”

John Timoney, former Chief of Police of Philadelphia, Miami and currently a security consultant in Bahrain, recommended Cordero to the freeholders during his time in Camden County last year.

Timoney served as a consultant for the county last August to help outline a countywide police force.

“Mr. Cordero is an experienced and seasoned law enforcement official who will bring a high degree of leadership and professionalism to the Camden Metro Division,” said Camden Mayor Dana Redd . “His understanding of the many complex issues and needs of an urban environment makes him a great fit for the position. I welcome Mr. Cordero and look forward to working with him to help keep Camden’s families safe.”

Scott Thompson, Camden City Police Chief, worked with Cordero in 2008, when he served as State Director of Law Enforcement.

“Jose Cordero is a mission driven, task oriented individual who has vast experience in urban policing and a familiarity with the extraordinary challenges of Camden,” Thompson said.

Cordero retired from the New York Police Department in 2001 after 21 years with the department and rising to the rank of Police Inspector, overseeing eight precincts and more than 2,000 sworn officers.

In 2004, he was appointed Police Director in East Orange, where — officials said — he held bring the crime rate down by 71 percent in four years.

In 2008, the governor and attorney general appointed Cordero the State Director of Law Enforcement. Then in 2010, he formed the Cordero Group to offer his expertise to police and security forces seeking to improve cost efficiencies, reduce crime and increase productivity.