PATERSON – Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi today announced a Summer Crime and Quality of Life Strategy specifically designed for the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2023 when more residents are spending time outdoors in their communities. The Paterson Police Department (“PPD”), with support from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, along with state and local public safety partners, will implement the innovative strategy to increase overall safety in the City of Paterson while strengthening community relationships.
“The Summer Strategy that we are announcing today includes significant violence reduction efforts made possible by Attorney General Platkin’s ongoing commitment to Paterson. Through the allocation of State resources, personnel, technology, and nearly $1 million dollars in additional summer funding, we will be able to bring about meaningful improvements in public safety for the residents of this city,” said Officer in Charge Abbassi. “Law enforcement officers know that as the weather gets warmer, crime often goes up. Our mission since the first day we stepped into PPD was to improve public safety and the relationship between our officers and the community. With this comprehensive plan we can provide the services that our residents deserve and should expect. The building blocks in this plan will be carried over for years to come as we work toward the NextGen of policing in Paterson.”
Highlights of this plan include:
- Violence Reduction Initiative: More than $900,000 in state funding from Attorney General Platkin’s Department of Law and Public Safety will allow for increased PPD personnel to be assigned to dedicated hotspots that have historically seen increases of violence in the summer months. Enhanced patrol techniques that de-escalate tense situations paired with data-driven enforcement actions are designed to promote a safer community for those who live and work in Paterson as well as its summer visitors.
- After-Hours Social Club Enforcement and Multi Agency Response to Community Hotspots (MARCH) program: The PPD will prioritize enforcement actions against illegal businesses catering to patrons after the midnight curfew in place. These locations are often a source of violence and generate quality of life complaints including those related to noise and parking. PPD will be partnering with other city and state agencies to conduct coordinated inspection and enforcement operations on businesses and illegal clubs as part of its MARCH program. These partner agencies include the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the Paterson Fire Department, the Paterson Division of Community Improvements and others.
- Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative: With the help of extensive input from community members and leaders from throughout Paterson’s six wards, the PPD has identified locations for Neighborhood Revitalization. The Department will deploy significant police resources to the Neighborhood Revitalization locations throughout the summer months in an effort build partnerships in key areas of the community that have been plagued by public safety and quality of life concerns. This initiative will be in partnership with other city and state agencies and demonstrates PPD’s commitment to the shared responsibility for improving safety and the overall well-being of the City of Paterson.
- Creative Deployment of Resources and Operation ‘All-Out’: Resources not typically used by police to patrol the city, such as the Traffic Unit, Emergency Response Team and certain investigative units, will be repurposed this summer to key areas throughout the city. A portion of each officer’s shift will be spent in areas identified by data analysis as those with high levels of crime and large numbers of quality of life complaints. Additionally, certain personnel who handle administrative duties at PPD will be required to spend time on patrol during the summer months to enhance police presence in the city, improve police accountability and supervision, and ensure that the members of the PPD gain greater familiarity with the community members they serve.
- Reimagined Field Training Program: This program will utilize foot patrols for the newest members of the Department when they can best make a positive impact on the quality of life of Paterson residents. This will also allow them to develop relationships with community members and learn about the diversity of the city. Their first assignment will be in an area selected for Neighborhood Revitalization.
- Quality of Life Response Program: PPD personnel will be assigned to off-duty details to exclusively address quality of life calls for service during weekend night hours. Personnel will also focus on patrolling public parks to ensure compliance with park rules and closing times.
- Summer Youth Programming and Community Partnerships: PPD is partnering with community organizations throughout the city to provide opportunities for youth engagement, summer employment, camp experiences, and meaningful partnerships. It will provide young people in Paterson with a safe place to go while school is out during the summer months. A flyer can be found here.
- Working with Community Based Violence Intervention Groups: PPD is committed to actively participating in and expanding the work of violence intervention programs in the City of Paterson. These efforts focus on the important work of identifying those at risk and providing the resources and interventions that only come through coordinated and collaborative relationships.
- Conducting Citywide Recurring Community Roundtable Discussions: Having completed a series of community listening sessions in each city ward, the PPD will now transition to the next phase of its ongoing efforts to improve community relations with the Department. Throughout the summer, and beyond, the community roundtable discussion sessions will allow the PPD to better understand the community’s needs and how the Department is meeting them in smaller group discussions. This meeting schedule will be announced monthly, and opportunities to sign up will be provided via telephone, at patersonpd.com, and through the email address CommunityCares@patersonpd.com.
“PPD is committed to the safety of our City’s residents and visitors. The efforts being undertaken by our Department over the summer months will bring police officers and community members together more often and strengthen the community bonds of our Paterson home,” said Officer in Charge Abbassi. “We encourage community members to continue to engage with our Department as we improve the lines of communication between the Department and the community we serve.”
These efforts will be coordinated closely with agency partners to ensure that resources are aligned. Key partners to the Paterson Police Department include the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, the Division of Criminal Justice, the New Jersey State Police, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Passaic County Sherriff’s Office, ATF, FBI, and others.