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morristown
cAmden
In VIolent cIty,
a hInt of hope
Police say Camden remains dangerous, but quieter nights come more frequently now. (ALEx REmniCk/nJ ADvAnCE mEDiA foR tHE StAR-LEDGER)
For towns,
nonprofits,
tax case
looms large
By Tim Darragh and Ben Horowitz
NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger
Two hundred and thirty-eight
years ago, George Washington put
Morristown in the history books
when he used it as a wintertime
encampment during the colonies’
bid to break from British rule.
Now the north-central New
Jersey town is involved in another
battle — this time with its biggest
employer — which could have
major implications for some of
New Jersey’s biggest institutions.
On one side of the battle is the
county seat of Morristown, with a
population of more than 18,000.
On the other is Morristown
Medical Center, the workplace for
more than 5,500 employees and
the biggest facility in the $1.6
billion-a-year hospital section of
Atlantic Health System, recognized nationally for clinical
excellence.
The two sides have been in
court since the town’s tax
assessor in 2008 denied the
hospital’s property tax exemption
for 2006 to 2008.
The question they’re fighting
over — whether the hospital is
operating as a legal charity or a
for-profit business — is in the
hands of Tax Court Judge Vito
Bianco. How he rules could have
an impact on health care and
educational institutions and the
tax base in their host
communities.
Hospitals and potentially other
large nonprofit organizations
such as colleges and universities
could have their property tax
SEE Morristown, PAGE A11
crime has dropped since spiking in 2012, and Gov. chris christie is likely to tout that in his
expected presidential bid. But many caution that although major progress has been made
through community policing and the city is safer, it’s too soon for anyone to declare victory.
By Matt Arco
NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger
A
t half-past 7 on a cold and
blustery Friday night in South
Camden, Officer Brandon Galloza
scanned the pavement with his
flashlight in the darkness as he
searched for a bullet casing.
He was responding to a dispatcher’s call
about an unidentified man who said he was on
his way to the store and “heard (a) gunshot and
felt he was hit” in the leg.
The department’s “shot spotter,” a system of
microphones set up around the city used to
alert police to gunfire, never went off. With
the red and blue flashing lights of more than
half a dozen emergency vehicles parked
nearby to guide him, Galloza didn’t find
anything. The man was taken to Cooper
University Hospital.
Such stops have been routine for years in
Camden, which has consistently ranked as one
of America’s most dangerous cities.
What is different these days is what happened next as Galloza’s squad car rumbled
through the city for the rest of his shift: Not
much at all.
Camden police say while their city remains a
Today’s
Weather
A chance of rain and snow before 9 a.m., then
becoming mostly sunny as the day goes on.
High: 41°. Low: 17° / forecast, Page 2
by the numbers
2012
2014
murderS
67
33
raPeS
71
51
$5.5 million
amount in state aid cuts
Camden absorbed in 2010
$7.6 million
amount Camden lost in 2011
163
police officers laid off in 2011
dangerous place, quieter nights like these
come more frequently now.
“It’s really not as bad as it used to be,” said
Sgt. Raphael Thornton. “It’s actually a little
boring to drive around now sometimes. It’s
good to be boring.”
Plagued by drugs and poverty, Camden saw
crime hit a high in 2012 when the city recorded
67 murders. In less than a year, local and state
officials took the unique action of disbanding
the city police department and creating a new
one that claims it is stemming the tide of
violence that’s consumed the city of about
77,000.
AcAdemy AwArds
Who will
take home
an Oscar?
‘We acted boldly’
The Camden County Police Department
Metro Division was established with the help
of Gov. Chris Christie, who boasts about its
success and is widely expected to discuss
Camden across the country if he launches a
presidential campaign.
“In a city suffering from epidemic crime, we
acted boldly,” Christie declared at his State of
the State address last month.
“We terminated the city police department
and, partnering with the county, put a new
SEE CaMden, PAGE A3
Index
arts & escapes / E1
Books / D6
Business / A8
Classified / G1
County news / B1
new Jersey / A13
obituaries / A15
Perspective / D1
Puzzles / E5 & 6
Film crit
critic
Stephen Whitty
offers his annual
take on who will
win a co
coveted
statue,
stat
factoring
fa
in earlier
award
ceremonies,
buzz and
bu
some
hunches.
hu
Plus,
Whitty asks,
Whit
why do the
Oscars still
Osca
matter? If it’s
matt
assessan asse
ment of the
state of
Hollywood,
Hollyw
little has
then lit
changed./
change
Page e1
Sports / C1
travel / E8
tV Grid / E7
=0+i+7+b+5
Graduate Open House
Saturday, February 28 • 1- 3 p.m.
Register at www.shu.edu/goh
400 South Orange Avenue • South Orange, New Jersey