Camden City Council Rejects New Police Director

The Camden City Council has rejected the hiring of a new police director for the crime-ridden city.

Mayor Dana Redd appointed former New Jersey State Police Major Lanuel Ferguson to run the department's administrative duties on Monday and he began work that day.

But Tuesday night, the city council voted against the hiring. Some members told The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill the problem was Redd hired him without their consent.

Ferguson will stay on the job for now. Redd has 90 days to get the council's approval for the hiring. If she can't, it's not clear what will happen.

The 59-year-old Ferguson is to be paid $100,000 on top of his $90,000 per year pension.

The department has had deep layoffs this year, though many officers have been brought back.