In times of trouble you need a good Irish cop.
They might end up with one in London where there are rising calls for the job of Metropolitan Police Commissioner to be offered to Boston native, Bill Bratton.
In Camden, the New Jersey one as opposed to London's, Dublin-born John Timoney has been called in to help. Considered one of America's most dangerous cities, the crime situation in Camden, which is just outside Philadelphia, has persuaded authorities to send an SOS to Timoney, who has notched up about the same number of top cop positions as his old NYPD colleague Bratton.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Edmund Hartnett's profile rose significantly Tuesday when he appeared at a press conference following a joint FBI/Yonkers Police Department operation that resulted in the arrests of 65 individuals on murder, drugs and weapons charges.
The current chaos in the British capital, where the police commissioner recently resigned amid the phone hacking scandal, has resulted in reports that Bratton, former top cop in both New York and Los Angeles, could end up breaking precedent by being appointed the first non-British head of Scotland Yard.
British Prime Minister David Cameron seemed to suggest such a move after the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson. Bratton's name very quickly surfaced in reports.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Melanie Phillips ratcheted up the speculation surrounding Bratton. Phillips described Bratton as "the genius American police chief who transformed policing when he halved New York's murder rate and cut violent crime by half in Los Angeles."
Bratton, she wrote, is the man to clean up Britain's policing.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Daily News wrote of Timoney: "He did it in New York, in Philly and Miami, and now John Timoney is going to take a crack at one of the country's most dangerous cities, at least for a little while."
Timoney, according to the report, has been hired to consult with Camden County's Board of Freeholders on the creation of a countywide police department that would absorb Camden's police department.
The Board of Freeholders, in a statement, said that Timoney would work on a per-diem basis, but could wind up helping on a more long-term basis.
Timoney, like Bratton, has been working lately for a private security and investigations company.
Meanwhile, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has come out tops in an opinion poll that asked New Yorkers who they would like to see as their next mayor.
Kelly topped the list of potential 2013 candidates in a recent Quinnipiac University poll. Kelly, however, has given no clear sign or hint that he is interested in the job.
