Fight Over NJ Police Department Takeover Heads To State Supreme Court

PATERSON, NJ — It has been almost two years since the New Jersey Attorney General took control of the Paterson Police Department, and the legality of that takeover is headed to the state Supreme Court.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin took over the department on March 27, 2023, amid what he called "crisis of confidence in law enforcement." His office assumed control of all police function in Paterson, including internal affairs investigations, and named a New York City Police veteran as the Officer-in-Charge.

Sidelined police chief Engelbert Ribeiro and Acting Public Safety Director Mirza M. Bulur then filed a lawsuit against Platkin's office, claiming that Platkin violated the New Jersey constitution and the Home Rule Act by overriding local officials.

An appeals court ruled in their favor in mid-December, saying Platkin "does not have the legislative authority" to supersede Paterson officials, and should return control of the police department immediately.

The decision was celebrated by Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, who said he has "always maintained that the Attorney General’s takeover was both illegal and unconstitutional."

"This ruling reaffirms our city’s authority to manage its own police department and sets up a precedent for all municipalities across NJ that the responsibility of the police department rests on the local officials elected by the people," he said in a statement.

Platkin immediately asked the Supreme Court of New Jersey to temporarily pause that court's decision so his office may file an appeal, which the court granted.

The official appeal was filed on Dec. 31, with Platkin saying that upending the department "runs the risk of whipsawing the public and PPD officers back and forth across shifting legal judgments—a recipe for chaos and decreased morale, along with lost momentum and potentially squandered investments."

For example, the lawsuit states that day that the lower court's ruling came out, Bulur accessed Paterson PD radio and "announced to all PPD officers he would be returning."

In his appeal, the AG also pointed to a long-running federal corruption probe that involved several Paterson police officers and the fatal police shooting of community advocate Najee Seabrooks, both of which preceded his takeover.

Since the start of 2019, city police fatally shot three other people; two others, including Jameek Lowery, have died after being restrained.

The appeals court’s ruling left in place Platkin’s takeover of the police department’s internal affairs unit — the group charged with investigating the department itself in certain cases. City officials did not challenge the attorney general’s takeover of that part of the department.

As a note, 39-year Paterson Police Department veteran Patrick Murray was named officer-in-charge on Nov. 22, succeeding Isa Abbassi.

The number of homicides in the city (11) reached a 20-year low in 2024, according to the Paterson Press, though other crimes increased.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.

Related articles:

• AG Keeps Control Of Paterson Police For Now, NJ Supreme Court Rules
• Paterson PD Sues AG's Office After State Takeover