Paterson's police chief has been transferred to a state role in Trenton. This is why

Joe Malinconico
·4 min read

PATERSON — State law enforcement officials have transferred the city’s deposed police chief, Engelbert Ribeiro, to a new assignment in Trenton, despite the mayor’s request to keep him in Paterson.

Ribeiro on Monday began a new job at the New Jersey attorney general’s Police Training Commission, with the city still paying his $225,000 annual salary, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Ribeiro took the oath of office as chief on March 3 before being relieved of command 24 days later in the state takeover of the troubled Paterson Police Department.

Deputy Chief Englebert Ribeiro takes the oath of office for his new rank as deputy chief during a promotional ceremony for the Paterson Police Department at City Hall on August 2, 2021. Mayor Andre Sayegh, not pictured, delivers the oath of office.
Deputy Chief Englebert Ribeiro takes the oath of office for his new rank as deputy chief during a promotional ceremony for the Paterson Police Department at City Hall on August 2, 2021. Mayor Andre Sayegh, not pictured, delivers the oath of office.

“For operational effectiveness, the parties involved have determined that an assignment outside of the PPD is the most appropriate for former chief Ribeiro at this time,” said a statement issued by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

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Tension at City Hall

Mayor Andre Sayegh plans to put Ribeiro back in the chief’s position after the state intervention has ended, according to city government correspondence obtained by Paterson Press. But no one has disclosed exactly how long the state takeover will last.

Sayegh had wanted Ribeiro reassigned to Paterson City Hall, where he would have worked on various Paterson law enforcement projects, city officials said in correspondence.

Isa M. Abbassi, at a press conference, as he assumes the position of Officer in Charge of the Paterson Police Department in Paterson, NJ on Tuesday May 9, 2023.
Isa M. Abbassi, at a press conference, as he assumes the position of Officer in Charge of the Paterson Police Department in Paterson, NJ on Tuesday May 9, 2023.

By remaining in Paterson, city officials said, Ribeiro would have an opportunity to interact with the man the state has put in charge of the municipal police, Isa Abbassi, who recently retired from the New York City Police Department as a chief. Abbassi has said he would be putting together a two-year plan for the Paterson department.

“We find it unfortunate that at present Chief Ribeiro is not involved in the transitioning of this department,” said Mason Maher, president of the union that represents Paterson’s ranking police officers. “We believe he is an asset and is an extremely knowledgeable resource, which is why he was selected as chief only three weeks before these events.

“We want to be clear that this is of no fault of his nor a reflection of his capabilities,” Maher continued, saying he hoped the state would reconsider Ribeiro’s Trenton assignment.

Questions raised

Activist Ernest Rucker said he opposed transferring Ribeiro to the Trenton commission.

“This is completely unacceptable,” said Rucker, who earlier this year praised Ribeiro’s efforts to build trust by reaching out to Paterson community leaders. “Why not keep him here and train him? What happens when the takeover is over, and he becomes chief again? If you don’t train him now, then you might have the same issues.”

The leader of Paterson’s Black Lives Matter group, Zellie Thomas, declined to comment on Ribeiro’s reassignment. Thomas in recent months has called for the termination of various Paterson Police Department members, but Ribeiro has not been on his list.

“I don’t know too much about him,” Thomas said of Ribeiro. “He wasn’t chief when a lot of the problems were happening.”

The state takeover of the Paterson police followed several years of controversies in the department, including the controversial March 3 shooting of activist Najee Seabrooks.

Neither Sayegh nor Ribeiro could be reached for comment about the chief’s new assignment in Trenton. The state is paying Abbassi’s $200,000 salary as officer in charge in Paterson, officials said.

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'There can only be one person in charge'

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin during a meeting with community members at St. Luke Baptist Church in Paterson on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin during a meeting with community members at St. Luke Baptist Church in Paterson on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Reporters asked Attorney General Matthew Platkin about Ribeiro’s status during a press conference in Paterson last week.

"That's a city decision," Platkin said in response.

Another reporter asked about the chief being assigned to a training commission in Trenton.

"I can't speak about personnel decisions," Platkin said. "But that's a city decision."

But local officials said Ribeiro’s transfer to the commission in Trenton was a state decision.

In an interview with Paterson Press on May 3, Abbassi made it clear he did not want Ribeiro looking over his shoulder.

“There can only be one person in charge,” Abbassi said in that interview. “It’s me.”

Meanwhile, Platkin spoke about the Paterson police takeover when he addressed the state Assembly Budget Committee on Monday morning.

“And I want to restate what I have said previously: Doing this right will require financial support,” Platkin told the legislators. “It would be unrealistic to expect otherwise.

“I look forward to briefing the Legislature with an estimate of those costs as quickly as possible,” the attorney general added.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ Police Chief Englebert Ribeiro transferred. Here's why