PATERSON – Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi and the Paterson Police Department today announced that members of the patrol division are now carrying conducted energy devices, commonly known as Tasers or CEDs. With this equipment, PPD officers have expanded less-lethal options available to them when dealing with non-compliant individuals. CEDs are referred to as a “less-lethal device” because it stuns and usually immobilizes subjects to make it easier for law enforcement officers to subdue them.
“As a department we are constantly striving to provide the most advanced techniques and equipment to our officers so they are the most highly trained and best equipped law enforcement personnel in the State of New Jersey,” said Officer in Charge Abbassi. “With these conductive energy devices, our cops now have a critical tool available to them that can help them avoid an unintended tragic outcome.”
A study funded by the National Institute for Justice suggests that less-lethal devices like CEDs decrease rates of officer and offender injuries. Researchers found if injury reduction is the primary goal, agencies that deploy pepper spray and CEDs are clearly at an advantage. Both prevent or minimize the physical struggles that are likely to injure officers and subjects alike.
A 2016 statewide policy, the Attorney General Supplemental Policy on Conducted Energy Devices, governs the use of CEDs by law enforcement officers in New Jersey and establishes training and reporting requirements. The decision to equip officers with CEDs is left to each agency, but any agency that elects to use CEDs must comply with the Attorney General policy. The policy recognizes that, in appropriate circumstances, CEDs can be a lifesaving alternative to deadly force.
Previously, only members of the Paterson Police Department Emergency Response Team were equipped with conducted energy devices to be used in specific use of force situations. Emergency Response Team Lieutenant Antonio Pistone, a 24-year veteran of the department, is one of the lead instructors giving the training to the members of PPD as a member of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office task force meant to train officers and offer continued training for officers equipped with conductive energy devices.
Currently 48 members, including officers and supervisors, of the Patrol Division are equipped with CEDs. This represents 40% of the sworn personnel assigned to that division and a significant investment in funding and resources. The Division is primarily responsible for answering 911 calls for service and conducting community engagement, directed patrol, and quality of life enforcement. Officers were trained at Paterson Police Headquarters earlier in September and additional trainings will be held for more members of the Patrol Division later in the fall.
Expanding conducted energy device training to all members and increasing the availability of this less lethal device on patrol to reduce risk of unintended outcomes are goals defined in Officer in Charge Abbasi’s Strategic Plan for the Paterson Police Department. That goal is currently in progress as more training dates are set for patrol officers. Another of the Plan’s goals equipped all officers within the Field Services Bureau with oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray for other situations where force must be used and de-escalation techniques have been exhausted. Previously not all field services officers were equipped with OC spray and had no access to CEDs.
