County ends oversight of Paterson police internal affairs, but activists remain skeptical

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Asserting that the Paterson Police Department’s Internal Affairs investigations are “now more robust and detailed,” the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office stated on Friday that it has ended its 17-month on-site oversight of the operation.

The prosecutor’s office said it found “deficiencies in past practices” at Paterson’s IA division as it “closely examined” more than 500 cases dating back to 2018. But the prosecutor’s announcement did not say whether its review resulted in any changes in the outcomes of those cases.

The prosecutor’s office said Paterson’s IA files and records are now more accurate, IA complaint forms and statistics have been added to the police department’s webpage, and the IA investigators now have a private room equipped with video and audio recording devices to interview witnesses.

In the past, Paterson residents and community leaders had complained that IA investigations were superficial, with people who filed complaints sometimes not even interviewed. Friday’s announcement by the prosecutor’s office said improvements have been made.

“An investigation includes a review of police reports and other evidence, a review of body camera video, a canvass for witnesses and surveillance video, and interviews of both citizen and law enforcement witnesses in most cases,” said the prosecutor’s office.

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The prosecutor’s oversight of Paterson’s IA started on April 27, 2021 as the U.S. Attorney's Office arrested two Paterson cops – Kevin Patino and Kendry Tineo - on civil rights charges involving the use of excessive force on a 19-year-old man in a video recorded four months earlier. Patino and Tineo became the ninth and 10th Paterson cops arrested by the FBI in a three-year span.

Social justice activists said they are not convinced very much has changed because of the prosecutor’s oversight.

“Unless there’s more transparency, those are just words,” said Zellie Thomas, leader of the Paterson Black Lives Matter group. “We need more information across the board.”

Thomas said the prosecutor’s assertion of “more robust and detailed” IA investigations is the same kind of promise that Paterson residents have heard from law enforcement officials prior to the 17-month review.

Thomas said the FBI cases – which produced convictions of eight former city cops and charges pending against two others – left a “a stain on the Paterson Police Department” and that authorities need to be more forthcoming with information about the recent oversight to address the community’s lingering suspicions.

Paterson’s Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said the prosecutor’s oversight resulted in “learned changes” and new processes at IA.

“That’s a good thing for both the department and the community,” Speziale said.

The public safety director said the prosecutor’s review was “a collaborative effort” with the police department. “As a law enforcement officer, you always want to do better for the community,” Speziale said.

Mayor Andre Sayegh issued a statement about the prosecutor’s announcement. “The city will review the PCPO's recommendations and will continuously analyze the Internal Affairs process to improve it and ensure that it functions in accordance with the attorney general guidelines,” the mayor said.

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Sayegh said the prosecutor's recommendations were "not for public consumption" when Paterson Press asked if he would make them public.

Corey Teague, a city school board member and activist who has organized more than a dozen protest rallies regarding the Paterson Police Department in recent years, said he doesn’t think the prosecutor’s oversight has brought about much change at IA. He cited the lack of information made public about the disappearance of 41-year-old Felix DeJesus after the man was detained by two Paterson police officers on Feb. 2.

“Can they tell me where Felix is?” Teague asked.

During the prosecutor’s IA oversight, officials had refused to release police body-camera video recordings of the officers’ encounter with DeJesus. Those videos only were made public after news organizations filed a lawsuit and won a court order forcing their release.

“There are definitely still gaping holes in the IA process,” Teague said.

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

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police oversight of IA by Passaic County ends