AG's Office Takes Over NJ Police Dept. After Shooting Death Of Man In Crisis

PATERSON, NJ — The Paterson Police Department is now under control of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, officials said, citing a "crisis of confidence in law enforcement" in the city.

AG Matthew J. Platkin's announcement comes 24 days after the shooting death of Najee Seabrooks, a violence intervention activist whom police officers fired upon as he exited the bathroom he had shut himself in during a mental health crisis.

A New Jersey State Police major will oversee the department before a 25-year New York City Police Department veteran arrives to take the helm later this spring, said the Attorney General.

"Residents of this city, and residents in every community across our state, must feel that those officers called on in times of emergency or distress will help provide the solutions that community members need and deserve, not escalate situations or exacerbate vulnerabilities," said Platkin at a press conference Monday.

Violence prevention coalitions and Black Lives Matter New Jersey, as well as the Paterson Healing Collective with which Seabrooks worked, have called ceaselessly for action to be taken at the department since the March 3 shooting. Related article —Body Cam Video Released In Paterson Police Shooting Of Najee Seabrooks

The AG's office assumed control of all police function in Paterson, including internal affairs investigations, effective Monday. Six Paterson officers have also pleaded guilty in a long-running federal corruption probe in recent years, another contributing factor to what Platkin says is an erosion of public trust in the department.

The AG's office released body camera footage from several officers that shows their hours-long interaction with Seabrooks, who told officers that someone was trying to kill him and who cut himself several times with a knife while police were in the apartment. After the footage was released, the NJ Institute for Social Justice and ACLU of New Jersey continued calls for reform in how police respond to people in crisis.

Platkin said a 25-year New York Police Department veteran, Isa Abbassi, will become Officer-In-Charge of Paterson Police in May. Platkin said Abbassi is the NYPD's current Chief of Strategic Initiatives and oversees policy reforms for the entire New York City police force.

Members of the Attorney General's staff and leaders from New Jersey State Police will assume leadership of the department in the interim, Platkin said.

“Due to a number of events and concerns relating to the Paterson Police Department, there is a crisis of confidence in law enforcement in the City of Paterson,” said Platkin. “People throughout Paterson deserve a public safety system that protects and serves all members of its community, just as the members of the Paterson Police Department deserve adequate resources, support, and innovation from their leadership."

The NJ Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition said this action is "a necessary first step toward justice," but called for Platkin's office to do more and for new leadership "across the board" in Passaic County.

"The Paterson community has endured irrevocable harm by the hands of the police that killed Najee, a HVIP team member from a program funded by the AG's office," said the NJVIP. "Paterson must be compelled to invest in a non-carceral crisis response team made-up of fully funded and trained community members and there needs to be change at the highest levels of law enforcement in Passaic County."

"By taking over the Paterson police the Attorney General is acknowledging there have been transgressions and that harm has been committed," the NJVIP continued. "The Passaic County prosecutor’s office has done nothing to address those issues and so we are calling for new leadership across the board."

The ACLU of New Jersey said Platkin's announcement "is a welcome step given the abusive, violent, and harmful policing that has been endemic in Paterson for years, and that, most recently, claimed the life of Najee Seabrooks."

Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU-NJ, said Paterson community leaders must have a voice at the table alongside the Attorney General and others.

"We hope that this process is a collaborative one that will help bring about trust and integrity to the Paterson Police Department, and safety from police violence for the people of Paterson," he said.

Previous coverage —

• Body Cam Video Released In Paterson Police Shooting Of Najee Seabrooks
  
• 2 Officers Who Shot, Killed NJ Man In Distress Identified: AG
• Police Reform Demanded After NJ Violence Intervention Activist Killed
• Man Fatally Shot By Paterson Police Identified As Violence Intervention Activist Najee Seabrooks (from CBS New York City, news partner)

Platkin also announced several local and statewide initiatives to improve public safety in Paterson, and said change would not happen overnight. This includes forming a working group to study and make policy recommendations on interactions between law enforcement and community-based intervention groups, such as the one with which Najee Seabrooks worked.

Members of the Paterson Healing Collective were on the scene and wanted to reach Seabrooks, but police told them it was unsafe for them to come in according to a GoFundMe for his family.

Other changes the AG announced are implementing a program called ARRIVE Together in Passaic County to pair an officer with a mental health screener while responding to mental or behavioral health crises. ARRIVE Together, which stands for Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence & Escalation, currently operates in Cumberland, Union, and Atlantic counties as well.

Platkin also said his office will revise the statewide use of force policy to include protocols for people who are barricaded.

Platkin said Abbassi, who will take over the Paterson PD in May, worked to build community relationships with police in Staten Island, N.Y. after the shooting death of Eric Garner in 2014.

"Chief Abbassi is an experienced, proven leader who has built community trust and achieved excellence through his innovation at the highest levels of law enforcement in this country," the AG said. "I am grateful for his service and I look forward to working with him to ensure public safety in Paterson. I am committed to restoring public confidence in the Paterson Police Department, which includes providing the officers on the force the support, resources, supervision, and training they need to be an exemplary police department.”

The NJ Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition also called for the AG's office to release reports about the activity of countywide working groups that were established in 2020 to address a framework for law enforcement interactions with special needs populations and those with mental health issues.

"We also ask for full transparency from the AG around his office's mental health task force and an accounting of their reports and activities," the NJVIP said in a statement. "Finally, we look forward to receiving details of the OAG's enforcement of AG Directive 2020-14."

This is a developing story and will be updated.