They are keeping track of the cars that come here, whose occupants were seen doing something suspicious.
"We may not know the identity of the operator, but we certainly know the tag number of the vehicle," said Camden County Prosecutor Warren Faulk.
Starting Monday, the registered owners of 624 vehicles will be getting letters warning them that their vehicles were seen on surveillance in a high crime and drug trafficking area.
"There is nothing here that violates anyone's rights," Faulk told Action News. "This is simply notice, so that the owner knows that this vehicle was in that location."
In the future, police will be on the lookout for those cars in the city. And they will take action, possibly seizing the vehicle if the driver engages in illegal activity. 90 percent of the warning letters are going to residents of the suburbs, places like Cherry Hill, Deptford, Sewell and Mount Laurel.
"It's something that we on the ground are very familiar with," said Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson. "We know that this is a regional issue that rolls downhill into our city and it's something we are taking an aggressive stance against."
The city is aware that the owners of the vehicles observed aren't necessarily those buying drugs. They suspect the letters might serve as a wake-up call for unsuspecting parents or spouses. They hope the warnings serve not just as a deterrent but a reason for some to seek help.
"They need to be put on notice that we're watching," said Camden Mayor Dana Redd. "Visiting Camden for anything other than the waterfront is not a good thing."
