Public safety is improving in Paterson. Crime is down. There's still more to do

Crime has dropped significantly in Paterson for over a year. I certainly appreciate the daily and effective efforts of the men and women in our Police Department, but as I have said repeatedly, we cannot arrest all of our problems away.

We have improved public safety in Paterson by taking a compassionate and holistic approach. Our focus has been on prevention, intervention and empowerment.

For more than five years we have prioritized providing our youth with safe places to play. Our $100 million investment has resulted in 10 new athletic fields, 10 improved parks, and multiple inclusive playgrounds. Moreover, upon taking office in 2018, I immediately increased our recreation budget.

We have applied for and been awarded $50 million in grant funding. One of those grants focuses on crime prevention through our community policing unit. The grant has been used to fund employment opportunities for young men and women.

Two years ago, Paterson became the first and, to date, the only city in New Jersey to establish a Financial Empowerment Center. Through the aforementioned initiative we have helped hundreds of Patersonians improve their credit scores, reduce their debt, and put participants on a path to becoming first-time homeowners.

In 2022, we launched our guaranteed income program and provided 110 residents with $400 a month for the year. Recipients spent the money on groceries, rent, and utility bills. One woman said she and her family had a real Thanksgiving for the first time in their lives.

Late last year, we relaunched the guaranteed income program and scaled up to serve 200 residents. One recipient said that as a result of the financial assistance, she was able to buy Christmas gifts for all of her children.

We have also worked to reduce our rate of recidivism. Two years ago, Paterson became the first city in the state to have a reintegration services coordinator housed in the mayor’s office. Our reentry assistance program has helped clients obtain employment, receive identification documents, and secure housing support, food, and clothing.

Andre Sayegh: Climate resilience: Paterson takes local action on a global scale

Opioid use disorder is a long-standing challenge that many cities in the world face. In Paterson, we are serious about helping people defeat their demons and live a new life.

Since Sept. 13, 2021, our Opioid Response Team has performed proactive outreach and provided recovery operations in target areas primarily on Broadway. The team has hitherto conducted 4,426 interactions with community members and made 578 referrals for treatment.

In 2021, we won a $1 million award from Bloomberg Philanthropies to combat drug addiction in Paterson. Our RealFix program, which was recently featured in this newspaper, is giving people the hope and the help that they need. In the past year, we have helped 213 clients receive treatment. Some 85 of those individuals are homeless. Our objective is to ensure that all of our clients are clean and housed.

In addition to all of the aforementioned initiatives, we plan to create a Community Court in Paterson. This initiative will place low-level, non-violent offenders on a path to a more productive life.

Public safety has always been my priority. The actions we have taken over the last five years have helped us reduce crime and improve lives. Our collective and comprehensive efforts are making Paterson a safer and a stronger city.

Andre Sayegh is mayor of Paterson.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ crime drops