Can this Nebraska program be a solution to Paterson’s crime problem?

PATERSON — For the past several months, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh has been excited about the city of Omaha, Nebraska.

It started in February when Sayegh saw an ABC television news story about Omaha 360, an anti-crime program that officials and community leaders in Nebraska have credited for reductions in homicides and shootings.

In March, Sayegh announced he would be going to Nebraska with his police chief, Engelbert Ribeiro, and his public safety director, Jerry Speziale, to research the highly touted anti-crime program.

In April, just a week after the state seized control of the troubled Paterson Police Department and relieved Ribeiro of command, the mayor and his public safety contingent traveled to Omaha.

“I still control the city,” Sayegh said when asked why he hadn’t canceled the trip.

Now the mayor is pushing ahead with his effort to replicate Omaha 360 in Paterson, a plan he said he discussed this past week with the man the state has put in charge of the Police Department, retired New York City cop Isa Abbassi.

“He said he needs to know more about it,” Sayegh said of Abbassi’s reaction to his Omaha 360 proposal.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, which appointed Abbassi to the Paterson position, did not provide any comment on where he stands regarding the mayor’s anti-crime plan.

Some Paterson City Council members said the timing may not be good for Paterson 360, with a new regime in command at police headquarters.

“I don’t know what the new chief is going to do,” said Councilman Luis Velez.

“Chief Abbassi might say, ‘Hey, I have my own strategy,’” said Councilman Michael Jackson.

What was learned in Omaha

Sayegh remains enthusiastic about the idea. In Nebraska, pastors, educators, residents, nonprofit group leaders and law enforcement officials meet weekly to go over Omaha 360’s work.

“They’re trying to solve the social issues that drive crime,” Speziale said. “It’s not really a police operation. It’s a community operation.”

Sayegh said he paid his own way on the Nebraska trip and the travel expenses for Speziale and Ribeiro were covered with money confiscated as the proceeds of criminal activity. Speziale said the cost for him and the chief was no more than a few thousand dollars.

Sayegh said the program in Nebraska reflects his faith in community partnerships. Omaha 360 works in conjunction with a nonprofit organization called The Empowerment Network, which tries to increase high school graduation rates, reduce unemployment, improve access to health care and healthy foods, and revitalize that city’s cultural, entertainment and business districts.

The Empowerment Zone’s website says Omaha saw a 74% decrease in gun violence and that the city’s homicide rate hit a 40-year low.

Crime statistics often tell more than one story. For example, the data on the Omaha police website says the number of violent crimes in the city went from 2,485 in 2012 to 3,031 in 2020. That represents a 22% increase.

Paterson, meanwhile, hit a 30-year high in homicides in 2022. The number of violent crimes reported in Paterson went from 1,554 in 2012 to 1,432 in 2020, an 8% decrease.

Omaha’s population is about 490,000, while Paterson’s is just under 160,000.

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Reaction in Paterson

Some Paterson community activists are scratching their heads over why Sayegh needed to go all the way to Nebraska to learn about using social programs to reduce crime.

“We’ve been telling them that for years,” said the Rev. Kevin Henry, a former member of Paterson’s Cease-Fire community group. “That’s nothing new. The reason for a lot of these shootings is unemployment. That’s the only way they know how to make money.”

Jackson, the councilman, said Sayegh could have stayed in North Jersey and visited Newark if he wanted to learn how to fight crime.

“Ras Baraka is doing a great job,” Jackson said, referring to the Newark mayor.

Activist Corey Teague said Sayegh should be focusing his efforts on getting the state Legislature to allow civilian complaint review boards in New Jersey to handle allegations of law enforcement misconduct. Teague said such civilian boards would build trust between cops and the community and increase the public cooperation in fighting crime.

Sayegh said he hopes to replicate Omaha’s weekly meetings by including the city’s prison reentry coordinator, its Financial Empowerment Zone staff, county probation staff and county workforce training specialists.

The mayor said he has not yet discussed with Abbassi when the proposed program might start.

“I want him to get his feet wet first,” Sayegh said.

By the numbers

Population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

Omaha: 487,300

Paterson: 157,794

Homicides in 2022

Omaha: 30

Paterson: 27

Shootings in 2022

Omaha: 101

Paterson: 101

Sources: Paterson Press and Omaha World-Herald

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ crime: Can Omaha 360 program help?