Paterson police release crime statistics that show increases — with an asterisk
PATERSON — The city had 1,001 aggravated assaults in 2022, 683 motor vehicle thefts, 561 burglaries, 451 robberies and 64 rapes, according to crime statistics released this past week by the Paterson Police Department.
Those numbers all reflect increases compared with what city officials reported for 2021 — a 59% jump in motor vehicle thefts, 31% for rapes, 24% for burglaries, 22% for robberies and 1% for aggravated assaults.
But the Police Department said changes in the way the statistics are compiled during the past year made it “impractical to conduct a fair comparison” between 2021 and 2022. City officials said state authorities are working on a way to “merge” the statistics to allow for an accurate comparison between the two years.
Community leaders said Paterson residents don’t need any analysis by state law enforcement officials to tell them about crime in their city.
“The community definitely believes the numbers are increasing,” said the Rev. Sarah Anthony of Grace Gospel Church in the city’s 4th Ward. “That’s just from conversation my congregants have in their little pockets of their neighborhoods.”
The Rev. James Staton, from Paterson’s 1st Ward, expressed a similar view.
“The bottom line, from the streets: Things haven’t gotten better. In fact, they have gotten worse,” Staton said. “People are still scared standing at bus stops. They’re still scared to walk down the street. They’re still imprisoned in their own homes.”
Paterson Press asked Mayor Andre Sayegh about the statistics for assaults, robberies, burglaries and car thefts. Sayegh did not address those crime categories, but instead pointed to the fact that the city last year saw 10% reductions in its homicide and shooting statistics, information that was reported in January.
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"Additionally, in the first three months of 2023, we have seen a significant reduction in these violent crimes,” the mayor said of homicides and shootings. “As a city, we constantly seek innovative solutions to improve public safety.”
The mayor cited a trip he and top city police officials made to Omaha last month to check out a crime prevention program in that Nebraska city. He also expressed hope that the New Jersey attorney general’s takeover of the city Police Department would generate more resources for Paterson’s law enforcement efforts.
“We are committed to investing in our police force, implementing community policing initiatives, and working closely with our residents to build strong relationships based on trust and cooperation,” Sayegh said.
The 27 homicides Paterson endured in 2022 represented a reduction from the 30 killings in 2021. But the homicide number last year was still higher than the total for any single year in the decade before 2020.
Staton said many Paterson residents are tired of unfulfilled promises from the city’s political leaders.
“As long as we keep playing games, people are losing their lives,” Staton said.
Councilwoman Maritza Davila, chairperson of the Paterson City Council's public safety committee, declined to comment on the 2022 crime statistics, saying they have not yet been presented to the governing body.
Activist Teddy Martinez said he was “not surprised at all” by numbers that seemed to show increases in most crime categories. Martinez said officials need to address Paterson’s housing, food, employment and mental health problems to reduce crime.
“A lot of people are scared,” Martinez said of the crime situation. “They are justified fears, because I’m scared myself sometimes.”
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.
Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: See Paterson crime stats for 2022
