This is what Isa Abbassi plans for the Paterson Police Department over the next 2 years
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PATERSON — Cops will be walking the beat in five additional areas of Paterson in mid-October as part of a 55-initiative plan to rebuild trust in the city’s notorious Police Department, officials announced Tuesday.
The new walking patrol locations include the areas around North Main Street, 10th Avenue, Rosa Parks Boulevard, South Main Street and Market Street.
Isa Abbassi, who was appointed officer in charge as part of the state takeover of the Paterson Police Department, showed the map of the new walking beats during a press conference Tuesday morning. The event took place at the city’s main library, which is on Broadway, a street transformed over the summer by Abbassi’s neighborhood stabilization initiative.
What else is in the plan?
Other parts of Abbassi’s plan include using artificial intelligence to review officers' body-camera recordings, the creation of new policies requiring police supervisors to go to the scenes of all arrests and incidents involving people in crisis, and increasing the number of city cops equipped with non-lethal forms of force, such as Tasers and chemical spray.
The state look control of the Police Department six months ago, in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of community activist Najee Seabrooks. Abbassi arrived in Paterson in the second week of May.
“Under the leadership of Officer in Charge Abbassi, the transformation of the Paterson Police Department is well underway,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin, “and we have already seen the results: a significant reduction in crime coupled with a growing sense of community and increased morale from officers within the department.”
The state provided the Paterson Police Department with almost $1 million that paid for the overtime used during the Broadway summer initiative, and the state allocated an extra $10 million for city law enforcement programs in the budget that took effect July 1.
In unveiling his two-year strategic plan, Abbassi also said his department would launch a neighborhood stabilization program aimed at the city’s struggling downtown business district.
What did community leaders say?
Mayor Andre Sayegh was not among the dozens of Paterson community leaders who attended the Police Department press conference.
“The attorney general wanted his day,” Sayegh said when asked about his absence. “As for me, I work every day with our Police Department to improve public safety in Paterson.”
Those who attended the event were encouraged by Abbassi’s plans.
“We’re grateful for this new initiative, and I have much hope,” said the Rev. John Algera, a longtime member of Paterson’s CeaseFire community group who lives near the 10th Avenue strip targeted for walking patrols. “I’m also happy to see the Police Department values the community’s unput.”
Ernest Rucker, an activist who frequently criticizes the Paterson Police Department, called Abbassi’s plan “ambitious.”
“I like what I’ve seen so far on Broadway, and I’d like to see it all over the city,” Rucker said.
Sitting in front of Rucker at the news conference was the Rev. Kenneth Clayton, president of Paterson’s NAACP chapter. “It’s all good news,” proclaimed Clayton.
Questions about mental health
Also in the audience was Liza Chowdhury of the Paterson Healing Collective organization, where Seabrooks worked as a violence intervention specialist. Chowdhury welcomed Abbassi’s plans for increased community involvement and retraining of police officers.
“But I want to hear more about mental health,” she said.
“How are we going to prevent something like this from happening again?” she added, referring to Seabrooks’ death.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ Police Department unveils new strategic plan
