Newark Shootings, Camden Burglaries Make Crime Christie’s Issue

Shootings in Newark surged 43 percent after New Jersey’s largest municipality fired 162 police officers in November. Camden burglaries rose 65 percent after the state’s poorest city shed half its force in January.

Democrats and unions blame Governor Chris Christie, a first-term Republican who cut municipal funding by $445 million last year to help balance his budget. Though many studies reject a direct link between fewer cops and more crime, the issue may still prove a political hurdle for Christie.