LODI – The Paterson Police Department today announced that eight new police officers have graduated the police academy and have joined the department. The graduates were recognized at a ceremony at Felician University’s Breslin Performing Arts Center in Lodi for completing the comprehensive training requirements of the Bergen County Police Academy. The addition of these new officers will bring the number of police officers on the force in the City of Paterson to more than 420.
“I am happy to see these eight police officers join the ranks of the Paterson Police Department,” said Officer in Charge Isa M. Abbassi. “They will be a key component of the change the PPD brings to this city as we achieve our public safety goals. I would like to thank the Bergen County Police Academy for its commitment to training excellence and teaching these young officers what they need to know before they hit the streets.”
While in the academy, the new officers received 23 weeks of training covering a broad range of topics including criminal law, motor vehicle law, first responder instruction including CPR and first aid, opioid reversal training, use of force, handling incidents of domestic violence, working with individuals with special needs, firearm proficiency, physical fitness, and officer resiliency. Each officer has also completed an Integrating Communications Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) course, which provides law enforcement officers with the tools, skills, and options they need to successfully and safely defuse a range of critical incidents with limited use of force. ICAT became a requirement for all officers in late 2020 as a result of revisions to the state’s Use of Force Policy through Attorney General Directive 2020-13.
The training does not end here for these new police officers. They will spend the next six months within the Paterson Police Department’s training division, where part of their first assignment will include walking a beat in an area of the city, getting to know what’s important to Paterson residents. During that time, they will also spend select days with a veteran Paterson police officer to gain valuable patrol experience.
The eight new officers represent the city’s rich cultural diversity with five Hispanic officers, one White officer, one Black officer, and one Sudanese-American officer. Three of the eight were not born in the United States: one was born in Colombia, one was born in Mexico, and one was born in the Dominican Republic. Five officers are fluent in Spanish, one is fluent in Arabic, and one is fluent in Polish. Six of the officers are male, and two are female.
This class also includes three active military members, with the three officers currently in the Army Reserves. These officers are diverse in age as well; the youngest officer is 23, and the oldest is 36. They know Paterson very well, as five live in the city.
The Bergen County Police Academy is certified by the Police Training Commission, the state-level agency responsible for ensuring comprehensive training for law enforcement officers. Various academies serve the state’s local police departments to train officers for their new and demanding careers and ensure that they receive all required training to be prepared to join the more than 38,000 law enforcement officers serving New Jersey.
