Paterson cops face these challenges as a second year of NJ attorney general control begins

PATERSON — Fourth Ward resident Victoria Oquendo liked what she saw recently near her home: a police car parked for hours with its lights flashing at a street corner notorious for crime.

“I don’t have to be ashamed of where I live anymore,” she said. “I can sleep at night without hearing gunshots.”

Oquendo attributed the improvements in her neighborhood to changes made since the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office seized control of the Paterson Police Department.

March 27 marks the first anniversary of that takeover, an intervention that came with an initial infusion of more than $10 million in state funding, along with a significant reduction in violent crime last year, an increase in disciplinary action against city police officers and a surge in law enforcement overtime spending.

For the first time ever, city police officials provide weekly updates of Paterson’s crime statistics on their website. The department uses its Facebook page to highlight rank-and-file officers, such as a series of posts about African American cops during Black History Month. Police brass have begun using artificial intelligence to analyze body-camera recordings of cops’ interactions with citizens.

“I like to say we’re going from the Stone Age to the Space Age,” said Isa Abbassi, the retired New York City chief appointed by the state as officer in charge of the Paterson department.

But not everyone is pleased with how things have gone at police headquarters. Critics include Mayor Andre Sayegh, who is fighting in court to try to nullify the attorney general's intervention, and social justice activists, who question the substance of the state’s efforts and argue that community members should be given a bigger role in crafting public safety initiatives.

“What they’ve done is superficial at best,” said Zellie Thomas, leader of Black Lives Matter in Paterson. “It’s really been just a rebranding of the Police Department. They say it’s the next generation of policing; we’re getting the same old type of police officers.”

Trenton continues to invest, for now

As the curtain rises on the second year of state control, major challenges loom. How long will officials in Trenton sustain the extra funding for the municipal police department? Can the city stop the exodus of Paterson cops taking better-paying jobs in the suburbs? Can the Attorney General's Office alter the negative perceptions many residents have toward police officers?

“This is a major experiment by the Attorney General's Office, and they’re not going to let it fail,” said Richard Rivera, a South Jersey police director and retired West New York cop who provides expert testimony in law enforcement litigation. “They are going to make sure this succeeds.”

Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025 provides evidence to support Rivera’s prediction: There’s a line item on page 294 recommending another $10 million for the Paterson Police Department.

“Whenever you have an extra $10 million, it definitely helps,” said the Rev. John Algera, a retired 4th Ward pastor who has served in the Paterson Cease-Fire anti-violence group for many years. “It’s one thing to have the ideas about what needs to be done, but it’s another thing to have the money to be able to implement what needs to be done.”

Officials have not provided a detailed accounting of how they are spending the first $10 million. Among the ways they said the money is being used is for overtime for neighborhood stabilization programs, technology, new equipment and training.

Abbassi said the extra state money has helped improve the Police Department, but he also asserted that “management controls,” including increased supervision and accountability, have yielded “significant progress without spending a penny.”

Abbassi cautioned against placing too much emphasis on the decrease in shootings in Paterson.

“We don’t conflate progress with crime reduction,” he said. “That’s a mistake that amateurs make. We want to see a reduction in disorder.”

Abbassi said recent crackdowns on illegal parking have been one manifestation of his efforts to reduce disorder.

“This is not an ‘anything goes’ town anymore,” Abbassi said, citing a much-repeated adage about Paterson’s permissiveness. “If you come from the outside and you think this is an ‘anything goes’ town, you’re going to be disappointed. If you park illegally, whether you live here or not, you’re going to be ticketed.”

Questions about some Paterson police tactics

Oquendo, the 4th Ward resident encouraged by the increased police presence in her neighborhood, learned the hard way about the end of the “anything goes” approach. She said she got a parking ticket recently for leaving her car across the driveway in front of her home — something she said she has been doing for years.

“It’s definitely a double-edged sword,” Oquendo said, adding that the ticket was written by a cop patrolling her block. “Be careful what you ask for.”

Councilman Michael Jackson, whose vehicle was towed recently for being too close to a stop sign, condemned the parking crackdowns.

“Instead of doing real police work, we have officers towing cars,” the councilman said.

Jackson represents the city’s 1st Ward, one of its worst areas for crime. He questioned the accuracy of the crime statistics showing a reduction in shootings, saying he knows of instances when guns were fired and no one was injured by the bullets.

“The shootings are just as prevalent, but people haven’t been getting hit,” Jackson said, arguing that the state intervention has been ineffective.

Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, where shootings have been on the rise in recent years, said Abbassi has done “a great job” curbing crime in Paterson.

“I see the results,” he said.

Lawyer Patrick Caserta, who has represented Paterson police officers in civil and criminal cases for decades, also praised Abbassi. Caserta said he thought the attorney general’s initial announcement of the state takeover was mishandled, and he questioned the treatment of the city’s ousted chief, Engelbert Ribeiro, who had been in the job for three weeks at the time of the intervention.

Caserta said his outlook changed after he met Abbassi.

“I find him to be a straight shooter, an honest man, and I believe he is fully committed to his task,” Caserta said. “He has the background, the experience and the talent to accomplish a lot here.”

More from Paterson Press: A year after Najee Seabrooks’ shooting at the hands of police, Paterson seeks answers

'Trust is a very difficult thing to rebuild'

Some rank-and-file city cops offered a less glowing assessment of the department’s leader in private conversations with a reporter. Several expressed their hopes that a lawsuit ending state control would succeed. That litigation was filed by public safety Assistant Director Mark Bulur, Ribeiro and Sayegh.

The mayor’s chief of staff said Sayegh was too busy to do an interview about the first anniversary of the state takeover. Instead, the mayor issued a statement that called the takeover “illegal” and criticized Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

“It is quite clear that he is not here to collaborate but to propel his own political career,” the statement said.

Sayegh said Platkin “exiled” Ribeiro and has launched mental health and Municipal Court programs that duplicate things the city already was working on.

“Platkin’s actions showcase that it was never about rebuilding confidence in law enforcement but rather to position himself for higher office,” the mayor said. “As a twice duly elected mayor of Paterson, I believe in constructive cooperation, not an outsider using Paterson as a steppingstone to advance his political agenda."

Platkin dismissed Sayegh’s attack.

“It is regrettable that some public officials can only view bold actions through the lens of ambition,” the attorney general said. “Here, we took bold action simply because it was the right thing to do.

“One year later we are seeing significant progress in many areas including police accountability, transparency, communication and a significant drop in violent crime,” Platkin added. “Trust is a very difficult thing to rebuild, and this will not happen overnight.”

Platkin has not said exactly how long the state takeover will last. Abbassi last September issued a two-year strategic plan.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police has submitted a brief in the Ribeiro lawsuit criticizing the Attorney General's Office for setting criteria that could be used to determine when the intervention would end.

The state takeover happened 24 days after the police shooting death of Najee Seabrooks, who lunged at officers while wielding a knife after a standoff of nearly five hours. Seabrooks had called 911 for help in mental distress that family members attributed to his smoking something.

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice had called for the United States Attorney’s Office to intervene in Paterson. The institute’s criminal justice reform director, Yannick Wood, said assessing the effectiveness of the attorney general's takeover is “complicated.”

Wood said the state has not yet held anyone accountable for Seabrooks’ killing. He said some changes implemented under the attorney general reflect what he called “traditional” police department management, such as training. But he also said he was encouraged by some “next generation” initiatives, like the AI analysis of body-camera video.

Wood questioned why the Attorney General's Office had not intervened sooner in Paterson, considering the legacy of misconduct epitomized by the infamous “robbery squad” of six rogue cops convicted of federal crimes.

“We’re not looking for a police-led approach to working with the community,” Wood said. “We’re looking for a community-led response.”

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson police: NJ attorney general faces new challenges in takeover