PATERSON – Paterson Police Department Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi today announced 15 members of the department have been promoted to new ranks. One member has been promoted to the rank of deputy chief, one to detective captain, one to captain, one to detective lieutenant, one to lieutenant, three to sergeant, and seven to detective. Officer in Charge Abbassi, members of the PPD executive staff, and elected officials at the city, county, and state levels joined the friends and family members of the promoted officers to celebrate their accomplishments.
“As the PPD continues on its path to become a regional leader in the policing profession, we must ensure that our supervisors and executives personify what our organization has become,” said Officer in Charge Abbassi. “I am proud of each and every one of our new promotees, and I know they will rise to meet any challenge and excel in their new positions.”
Michael Saginario has been promoted to the rank of deputy chief. Scott Eason has been promoted to the rank of detective captain. Jason Bernasconi has been promoted to the rank of captain. Angel Gonzalez has been promoted to the rank of detective lieutenant. Steven Leishman has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Alexsis Torres, Jovan Candelo, and Phillip Calicchio have been promoted to the rank of sergeant. Daniel Driscoll, Brian Ramirez, Cesar Nunes, Manuel Lojo, Malek Assaf, Julian Burks, and Julian Vizcaino have been promoted to the rank of detective.
Deputy Chief Saginario is a native Patersonian and grew up in the city before joining the department in 1996. He has served as the commanding officer of the Field Services Bureau, overseeing all forward-facing operations of the department including patrol and special operations, and will continue in that role as deputy chief. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from Montclair State University and an Associate’s Degree in criminal justice, and he is an FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award recipient and a 2024 graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police hosted by the Police Executive Research Forum at Boston University.
Captain Eason is the executive officer of the Investigative Services Bureau. As second in command of all investigative functions of the department, he ensures timely and effective coordination of investigative units and intelligence and information sharing with members of the Field Services Bureau and other law enforcement partners. He joined the Paterson Police Department in 2000.
Captain Bernasconi joined the Paterson Police department in 2006. He currently serves as the commanding officer of the Operations Division, overseeing the Real Time Operations Center (RTOC), which allows the Paterson Police Department to use an expanding array of technologies for efficient and effective policing. He is a graduate of James Madison University, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.