Government
The county is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of seven members elected at-large for three-year terms on a staggered basis by the residents of the county. As of 2012, Camden County's Freeholders are:
- Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, Elected 2003. Term ends December 31, 2014)
- Freeholder Deputy Director Edward McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, elected 1995. Terms ends 2013)
- Rodney A. Greco (Gloucester Township, elected 2007. Term ends 2012)
- Ian K. Leonard (Camden, elected 2009. Term ends 2012)
- Scot McCray (Camden, elected 2011. Term ends 2014)
- Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill, elected 2010. Term ends 2012)
- Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, elected 2008. Term ends 2013)
In addition, the voters also elect a sheriff (Charles H. Billingham), a county clerk (Joseph Ripa), and a surrogate (Patricia Egan Jones). The Camden County Prosecutor is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey with the advice and consent of the New Jersey Senate (the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature).
As with most counties in the state, the court system consists of municipal courts for each township, borough and city, as well as a New Jersey Superior Court for the county. The latter handles the more serious criminal and civil cases, while the municipal courts handle traffic and other minor items.
Law enforcement at the county level, in addition to a sheriff, includes the Camden County Park Police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
Read more about this topic: Camden County, New Jersey
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“The rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which Government was instituted.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)