AG's Takeover Of Paterson Police Department Was Unjust, Lawsuit By Ousted Chief Claims

PATERSON, NJ — Paterson’s ousted police chief, the city’s police department, and the acting public safety director have filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office after a state takeover in March.

The AG's office assumed control of all police functions, including internal affairs investigations, in New Jersey's third-largest city on March 27 after several high-profile police shootings and deaths in custody, and charges against six officers in a federal corruption probe.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Passaic County Superior Court, claims that Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin overstepped his authority when he cited a "crisis of confidence in law enforcement" and took over operations at the department, which has 300-plus officers and serves a city of more than 150,000 people.

The plaintiffs, listed as the Paterson Police Department along with acting public safety director Mirza M. Bulur and sidelined police chief Engelbert Ribiero, are seeking an order for Platkin’s office to give up control of all functions of the department, except the internal affairs unit. The plaintiffs claim that Platkin violated the New Jersey constitution and the Home Rule Act by superseding local authority, according to the lawsuit.

Ribiero took the oath of office as police chief less than a month before the state takeover, and the AG’s office planned to reassign him to the Police Training Commission in Trenton after relieving him of command, according to the lawsuit. He still retains his full salary, Platkin’s office said.

Bulur, who was appointed as Paterson's acting director of public safety in July 2022 according to court records, claimed Platkin and Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi have not provided a timeline or any transition plan for giving control of the department back to his department or Ribiero.

In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office called the lawsuit “as unfortunate as it is meritless,” and said Platkin was within his authority to override local police.

“The Attorney General’s authority to supersede local law enforcement agencies is well established,” a spokesperson said. “And given the history in Paterson, the need to do so was clear.”

The AG’s office said the lawsuit is an effort to put Bulur and Ribiero’s interests “over the good of the city and its people.” New Jersey State Police Major Frederick P. Fife was interim officer-in-charge before Abbassi, a former New York City Police Department chief, took command in May.

“The Office of the Attorney General, working closely with Officer In Charge Isa Abbassi, has invested millions of dollars and countless hours over these past seven months into helping the Paterson Police Department move forward,” a spokesperson for Platkin’s office said.

Platkin shared a comprehensive strategic plan for the department on Sept. 26, with he and Abbassi both saying they are committed to reducing crime and fear on the streets while also trying to repair a fractured relationship between law enforcement and the public.

With the implementation of a summer violence reduction strategy, the AG’s office reported an almost 40 percent drop in the number of shooting incidents this summer compared to summer 2022. However, a string of shootings the first week in October claimed four lives, and officials have not shared further information on the investigations as of Friday afternoon.

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