18 Paterson cops suspended in 2023 as discipline rises under NJ attorney general's watch

PATERSON — The New Jersey attorney general’s takeover of the Paterson Police Department brought a dramatic increase in discipline imposed on city cops during 2023, according to internal affairs reports.

The number of officers suspended without pay jumped from one during 2022 to 18 in 2023, sustained complaints against Paterson cops soared from two to 47, and violations filed by the department against its own members rose from 16 to 43.

The overall rate for sustained complaints went from 3% in 2022 to 20% last year, the IA reports show.

“What has changed since the attorney general took over the Paterson Police Department is that officers are disciplined more frequently than ever before,” said Richard Rivera, a South Jersey police director and retired West New York cop who provides expert testimony in court cases involving law enforcement internal affairs functions.

“The new leadership within the Police Department would also account for the increase of alleged rule violations and them being sustained,” added Rivera, who made his comments after reviewing the latest IA reports.

What did Paterson officials say?

Mayor Andre Sayegh, who has opposed the attorney general's intervention at police headquarters, did not respond when asked for his comments about the IA reports. But City Council President Alex Mendez hailed the increase in police discipline numbers as positive news for Paterson.

“That tells you we’re making a lot of progress,” Mendez said. “We are watching the police and making sure the community feels safe.”

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the state intervention was geared toward giving the people of Paterson confidence in the Police Department.

“One of the first actions we took was to carefully review and reform the internal affairs function,” Platkin said. “As a result of the reforms we have put in place, we have increased accountability within the Paterson Police Department and are making progress rebuilding trust with the community.”

Isa Abbassi, the state-appointed officer in charge of the Paterson Police Department, was not available for an interview on Wednesday about the IA report data. A spokesperson for the department said Paterson IA has broadened its investigative approach since the state intervention.

“These efforts have led to more thorough, objective investigations and outcomes focused on accountability and increased trust,” said the police spokesperson.

The department has made continuous evaluation of officers’ conduct a priority, the spokesperson stated.

“Internal affairs has taken a more proactive approach in initiating complaints when potential misconduct is identified,” said the spokesperson. “There has been extra attention put into increasing public awareness of how to file a complaint on the PPD website and ensuring there is appropriate feedback so complainants are informed of the process.”

Paterson Black Lives Matter leader Zellie Thomas noted that none of the 34 excessive force complaints resolved in 2023 was sustained. Most of those complaints had been filed by civilians who claimed they were mistreated by city cops.

"The absence of sustained excessive force complaints is not absence of excessive force,” Thomas said. “We should not celebrate the lack of sustained reports but be more critical of why that is. It's even more reason why we need a civilian complaint review board to offer the public more transparency and accountability."

New strategies: Paterson police leaders share 2024 plans with elected officials and community advocates

Backlog acknowledged

For the past four years, the New Jersey Legislature has not acted on proposed laws that would have created civilian panels to investigate allegations of police misconduct with the power to issue subpoenas and interview witnesses.

Social justice activists have asserted that civilian review boards are needed because they say police IA investigators rarely impose discipline over residents’ accusations against cops. From 2011 through 2023, the IA reports show, just 11 of 331 excessive force complaints against Paterson police officers were sustained.

Rivera, the law enforcement expert on IA, said changes in the state’s reporting system don’t allow the public to see if the sustained cases stemmed from civilian complaints or those filed internally by police departments.

The Paterson department’s 2022 IA report revealed a growing backlog of unfinished investigations into alleged police wrongdoing in the city. Rivera said the 2023 report showed that the IA investigators began handling complaints more expeditiously.

“In short, Paterson is reducing the time it takes to complete investigations, in some cases by 30% to 50%,” Rivera said. “Naturally, by investigating more complaints in a calendar year, there is a likelihood that would increase sustained rates.”

Paterson Policemen's Benevolent Association President Angel Jimenez confirmed that there has been a concerted effort to resolve the backlog.

“They’ve put a lot of pressure on IA to close out their cases. I think that’s where these numbers are coming from,” Jimenez said, clarifying that there was no coercion to sustain complaints, only to complete the investigations.

Fall 2023: Paterson police fall further behind in handling internal affairs complaints

What else did the internal affairs report show?

In addition to the 18 cops suspended without pay, the IA report said 13 were sent for “training, coaching, or counseling,” eight were disciplined with “loss of time,” and three received written or oral reprimands.

Among the Paterson cops disciplined in 2023, 17 committed infractions that fell under a classification called “other rule violation,” eight were for body-camera violations, four for attendance issues, four for “conduct unbecoming,” three for neglect of duty, three for failure to safeguard department property, and one each for insubordination, improper supervision and DWI off-duty.

Four officers face “discharge from employment” for their alleged infractions, the report said. But none of those four was identified by name in the separate “Major Discipline” report issued by IA.

“Cases that remain pending appeal have not been reported in 2023's Major Discipline report,” the police spokesperson said when asked about the four cops who may be fired.

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

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson: 18 police officers suspended in 2023 under NJ AG watch