Camden’s Success Was Achieved by De-Unionizing, Not Defunding 

The word “union” never appears in CNN’s feature on Camden, but deunionization was a central component if not the raison d'etre for dissolving the city’s police force. 
According to a 2012 New York Times article, “every day, nearly 30 percent of the force does not show up."
Union contracts had made it all but impossible for the city to run an effective police department. Generous sick time and family-leave provisions resulted in a dysfunctional department with an extraordinary high absentee rate.