NJ AG takes control of daily operations of Paterson Police Department

PATERSON — In an announcement that stunned city officials and rank-and-file cops, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office seized control of the Paterson Police Department on Monday, taking over day-to-day law enforcement operations in the New Jersey's third-most-populous city.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Paterson’s new chief, Engelbert Ribeiro, was being relieved of command after less than a month on the job and the new officer in charge would be Isa Abbassi, a 25-year veteran New York City cop credited with improving community relations after the police-custody killing of Eric Garner on Staten Island in 2014.

“There is a crisis of confidence in law enforcement in this city,” said Platkin, flanked by members of his staff and the New Jersey State Police at a press conference outside Paterson police headquarters.

State officials said the Attorney General's Office has not yet decided whether to make changes in the command structure of the Police Department or to keep the same captains in charge of such as divisions as narcotics, Internal Affairs and patrol. Paterson’s public safety director, Jerry Speziale, will remain in his civilian role, state officials said.

Platkin said the state would bring “more resources” to the Paterson Police Department, but he did not provide details.

No city official participated in the announcement. Mayor Andre Sayegh — who has had close ties to Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration — also was not present for the event. Sayegh had been opposed to the possibility of the federal Justice Department intervening in his city’s department.

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“Given that resources were promised by the attorney general, we look forward to working with the Attorney General’s Office once again,” the mayor said. “Moreover, we are eager to review the attorney general's plan and timeline, as well as to share and build upon the reforms that we have already implemented.”

Minutes before Platkin’s speech, city employees removed the metal fence barriers that have blocked the front entrance to police headquarters since protests erupted after Paterson police officers fatally shot Najee Seabrooks on March 3.

State officials said the takeover stemmed from systemic problems, rather than a single incident, and Platkin did not mention Seabrooks by name during his comments.

But the attorney general made what seemed to be at least five indirect references to the Seabrooks shooting, which happened after a nearly five-hour standoff between Paterson cops and a 31-year-old violence intervention specialist going through a reportedly drug-induced mental health crisis while wielding knives.

For example, Platkin said the state would revise its protocols for when police are supposed to use force on people who are barricaded and how mental health workers should be used in such situations.

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Reaction from advocates and elected officials

Several of Seabrooks’ family members and his co-workers at the Paterson Healing Collective attended Platkin’s announcement and cheered out loud over the state intervention. Casey Melvin, one of the Healing Collective’s leaders, said it was too early in the process to comment about the attorney general’s actions.

Councilman Michael Jackson expressed concerns about the racial makeup of the state officials who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Platkin at the announcement, noting that the group of mostly white men did not reflect Paterson’s Black and brown population.

“That doesn’t show me they want the community to be part of the solution,” Jackson said.

Social justice activist Corey Teague said he was satisfied with the state takeover “for the time being."

“It’s a small step,” Teague said, adding that he hoped the state would succeed in rebuilding trust between the city’s cops and the community.

Ribeiro and Speziale could not be reached for comment.

Gov. Phil Murphy, in a statement released Monday, expressed support for Platkin's move — and lauded Platkin's announcement that the ARRIVE Together initiative — a experimental new program from Platkin's office that aims to rethink how police interact with people experiencing mental health crises — would be launched in Passaic County. Mayor Andre Sayegh has heralded a similar mental health-police partnership called “Connect and Protect,” which would partner staff from St. Joseph's University Medical Center with Paterson Police in responding to people in crisis.

“I applaud Attorney General Platkin for taking bold action to bring change to Paterson’s Police Department," Murphy said. "In Paterson, it has unfortunately become clear that there is a deep lack of trust between the police and the community they serve. This not only harms public safety, but it also makes it more difficult and dangerous for law enforcement officers to do their jobs. I am confident that the Attorney General’s actions will ensure needed reform and give police officers in Paterson the resources, support, and training they need to effectively build trust and serve their community."I am also grateful that Attorney General Platkin has announced that he will bring ARRIVE Together to Paterson," Murphy said. "This groundbreaking initiative represents a sea change on emergency response to individuals facing mental health crises, and will decrease the danger to everyone involved.”

Our view:Can Najee Seabrooks' fatal shooting be the moment to change Paterson's police? | Editorial

State police assume control for now

Platkin said Abbassi will start working in Paterson in May. In the interim, the city Police Department will be overseen by Major Fred Fife of the New Jersey State Police, Platkin said. He will be joined by state police Capt. Jafca Mandziuk and Assistant Attorney General Joseph Walsh in overseeing the Paterson department.

Platkin said the goal of the takeover is restoring confidence in the Paterson police and he would not specify how long the state intervention would last.

Many Paterson cops learned of the intervention Monday morning in a memo from Platkin.

“I am exercising this extraordinary power of my office to better support your department,” the attorney general said. “For too long, this department has suffered fiscal challenges, and been subjected to the whims of a revolving door of leadership.

“These challenges along with the high-profile cases of misconduct — some of it being criminal — on the part of a few officers have sullied the good name of hundreds of officers trying to do good work here and the trust between the community and the department has deteriorated as a result,” Platkin continued.

“The status quo is not addressing these longstanding issues,” he added. “A change is needed.”

During the afternoon press conference, Platkin said there have been dozens of instances in which the Attorney General's Office took control of local police departments. Officials on Monday did not say whether the state intervention would affect the role of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the Paterson police.

Last fall, city social justice activists called for Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes to resign because her office had not pursued criminal investigations of Paterson cops later arrested and convicted by the FBI.

The state intervention comes as legislators, community leaders and activists have been calling for a federal takeover of the Paterson Police Department in the aftermath of the Seabrooks shooting.

“This announcement will not quell the strife in the city of Paterson overnight,” Platkin said. “It will not immediately restore public confidence that the police are committed to providing every resident of Paterson with fair, just and effective public safety.

“Nor will it address the concerns of officers asked to do a hard and dangerous job in a community that — after years of fiscal challenges and a revolving door of police leadership — has lost faith in its police department, making the jobs of those officers even more difficult,” Platkin added. “Rather, the actions taken by my office today represent a pledge to the residents and officers of Paterson that the state of New Jersey is committed to the safety and success of the entire Paterson community.”

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ news: Attorney general takes over Police Department