Paterson cops are targeting 5th Ward drug corner where 10 people were shot
PATERSON — Police arrested 15 people on Wednesday as part of an ongoing effort to target a city street where two shootings this spring claimed a total of 10 victims, including a teenage girl who was killed.
Law enforcement sources said the surge in violence near the corner of Essex and Madison streets in the 5th Ward stems from a turf battle over a lucrative drug market driven by easy highway access for out-of-town customers.
Among those arrested in Wednesday’s operation were suspected drug buyers from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; Greenwood Lake, New York; Lincoln Park; Dumont; Wayne and Hewitt, police said.
After 15-year-old Monique Byrd was killed and four people were injured in a shooting on May 11, Paterson police increased their focus on the area, officials said. On June 6, the Special Investigations Division arrested a suspected dealer on gun charges.
Then, on June 14, narcotics detectives made four more arrests, seizing another gun along with 2,584 packets of heroin, 327 bags of crack, and various amounts of powder cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and pills.
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But those police crackdowns didn’t stop the violence. On June 26, five people suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds near the corner.
Paterson police installed a surveillance camera in the area, but the drug dealers cut its wires, authorities said. That forced detectives to use “mobile undercover surveillance” in making 13 drug arrests in the area on July 14, a bust that was followed by Wednesday’s operation, which netted heroin, crack and a loaded handgun.
“We’re going to use everything we can,” Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said about the operations targeting the trouble spot. “Our officers have been laser-focused and relentless in their follow-up on that area.”
The loaded weapon was a “community gun,” hidden in a spot where the various members had easy access to it, police said. During their surveillance, detectives watched the accused dealers occasionally walk over to check on the gun.
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“They all touched it,” Speziale said.
Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, welcomed the police intervention in the area.
“You have to stay on top of it,” Velez said. “You can’t just watch it today and let it go for a few days.”
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.
Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police target 5th Ward corner known for drugs, shootings
