PATERSON – The Paterson Police Department today announced nearly three quarters of the 55 goals and initiatives outlined in the NextGen Strategic Plan have been completed in its one-year update to the plan. The remaining goals are currently in progress, with completion expected by Fall 2025.
The NextGen Strategic Plan for the Paterson Police Department was unveiled in the Fall of 2023 by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi and was built upon the Officer in Charge’s Strategic Vision for the department. The plan benchmarks the progress and achievements of these goals, including 55 short-, medium-, and long-term interdependent initiatives. This is the second of four biannual updates to keep the public informed on the direction of the department and aid in transparency and accountability.
“The progress made in this past year has been remarkable. From community partnerships to technology and policy changes, we have made huge strides toward the Next Generation of Public Safety in Paterson. I commend the men and women of the PPD for rising to every challenge presented and exceeding all expectations,” said Officer in Charge Abbassi. “The Paterson Police Department is quickly becoming a world-class law enforcement agency, and other departments across the nation are noticing the work being done here by every person who puts on a uniform to protect and serve this city. I want to thank Attorney General Platkin for his continued support of excellence in policing as well as Governor Murphy and the Legislature for their assistance and partnership.”
When the Strategic Plan was first published to the public, 15 initiatives were completed with another 33 in progress. In the past year, an additional 25 initiatives have been completed and the remaining 15 are currently in progress.
“The accomplishments detailed in this Strategic Plan demonstrate our commitment to the City of Paterson, the strong leadership of Officer in Charge Abbassi, and the dedication of the officers within the Paterson Police Department. The progress that has been made in one year is not only commendable, it is life altering to the people of Paterson,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Not only is the City of Paterson safer, but through additional resources, communication, and hard work, trust and meaningful relationship have developed between the police department and the community. This success would not have been possible without the sincere support of Governor Murphy and the legislature who have allowed us to bring expertise and resources to the Paterson Police Department.”
The increase in community trust has coincided with a decline in violent crime, including historic lows in the number of year-to-date homicides, shooting victims, and shooting incidents. Through the week ending October 20, Paterson experienced a 44% decrease in homicides compared to the same point in 2023 and a 68% decrease compared to 2022. The number of shooting victims decreased 22.5% compared to 2023 and 39.5% compared to 2022. Shooting incidents were down 10% compared to 2023 and 39% compared to 2022.
The Paterson Police Department is becoming a leader in use of emerging technology to drive down crime and violence while dispelling fear and disorder within the city. The technological investments made possible through the financial support of the State, have enhanced PPD’s delivery of services to the community and improved officer safety and performance. This technology includes:
- PPD’s acquisition of a Fusus platform has enabled the Department to have better situational awareness before officers are dispatched, and it gives investigators access to a larger number of video sources after a crime has been committed. The technology and software acquired by the PPD, through state dollars, enables public safety and community resources to function more efficiently and collaboratively with improved operational intelligence, creating a common operating picture that emphasizes officer, citizen and community safety. Citizens and businesses can sign up to be a part of the network at www.connectpaterson.org.
- PPD’s investment in a body-worn camera footage analysis program designed by Truleo, has allowed PPD to transcribe and review 100% of all footage captured on body cams using artificial intelligence to recognize, maintain, and when necessary, improve professionalism. Since implementing the software, PPD has seen significant increases in highly professional language being used, camera activations, and community members expressing gratitude.
- Issuing cell phones to every member of the department to facilitate faster communication and dispersal of law enforcement sensitive information along with applications for improved situational awareness and officer safety. This investment also enables improved community access to the officers with whom they interact and allows crime victims an ability to maintain a direct point of contact with the PPD as their investigation proceeds.
- Large investments in public safety technologies including gunshot detection equipment, cameras systems, and automatic license plate readers, are improving PPD’s ability to prevent and deter crimes from occurring, and better-investigate crimes that are committed.
In addition, the Paterson Police Department has made several operational and policy changes, including:
- Supervisors are dispatched to calls for service related to persons in crisis who may be a danger to themselves or others. Furthermore, a supervisor’s presence is mandatory for an involuntary removal of an individual in these instances.
- Supervisory response is required to respond to the scene of every call for a barricaded individual. The key strategy when handling barricaded subjects who are not actively endangering others is to isolate and contain them, using time as the key tool to deescalate the situation and reduce risk to the subject or others. These changes were implemented in Paterson by the Attorney General and Officer in Charge, ahead of the statewide implementation of Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2024-04, which now mandates this type of response in all instances where law enforcement encounters a barricaded subject. For more on General Platkin’s Directive on Law Enforcement Responses to Barricaded Subjects please go to https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/agguide/directives/ag-Directive-2024-04_Adopting-Barricaded-Individual-Policy.pdf
- Members of the PPD have been provided hostage negotiation and crisis intervention training, giving the department another tool to deescalate situations and reduce uses of force when officers are interacting with a person in crisis.
- More less-lethal devices are available to PPD officers than ever before when dealing with noncompliant and violently resisting individuals. In addition to oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray being issued to every member of the Field Services Bureau, members of the Patrol Division are now carrying conducted energy devices, commonly known as Tasers or CEDs. These along with baton and defensive tactic training can be used in situations where force must be used and de-escalation techniques have been exhausted. Prior to the Attorney General’s appointment of Isa Abbassi as the OIC not all field services officers were equipped with OC spray and had no access to CEDs.
Additionally, the Paterson Police Department has invested significantly in the professional growth and continued education of its members. Officers have attended renowned law enforcement training programs and academies across the United States to grow their knowledge of the policing profession and become even better leaders within PPD. In the summer of 2024, PPD held a first-ever leadership conference for all supervisory-level sworn members of the department. They learned from law enforcement experts on policing practices and public safety strategies to better equip them with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.
The next semi-annual report of the Strategic Plan is expected to be released in Spring 2025.
On March 27, 2023, Attorney General Platkin assumed control of all police functions in Paterson. Command of the department was assumed by key members of the Department of Law and Public Safety staff and leaders from within the New Jersey State Police. New York City Police Department Chief of Strategic Initiatives Isa Abbassi was named Officer in Charge of the Paterson Police Department at the time and took the leadership position several weeks later.
