TRENTON, NJ– The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to temporarily stay a lower court decision that found the attorney general exceeded his authority when he took control of the Paterson Police Department.
The New Jersey Supreme Court’s temporary pause means Attorney General Matt Platkin’s officer-in-charge will retain control of the department, the attorney general said. The Supreme Court issued the stay without further elaboration, and Attorney General Matt Platkin praised the decision in a post on X.
“As our call continues, the PPD will continue to function as it has since March 2023: ensuring public safety and strengthening community trust,” Platkin said.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey Appellate Division said Platkin did not have the authority to “replace” or take over the Paterson Police Department in March 2023, after the headline-grabbing death of Najee Seabrookswho was fatally shot by officers after barricading himself in an apartment bathroom.
The court focused Platkin wants to return control of the police department to city officials and return Police Chief Engelbert Ribeiro to the city from a police training committee, but that decision is on hold following a Supreme Court order.
The court’s decision comes as the Biden administration takes a closer look at other departments, including Trenton. which was said to have a pattern and practice of misconduct, and as Platkin has called for greater police accountability across the state. .
Paterson has a population of about 160,000 and is located about 20 miles northwest of Manhattan. The demographics have shifted in recent decades from a predominantly white city to one where black residents make up almost 24% and Hispanics just over 60% of the population.
As Paterson’s black population grew, it clashed with the city’s white power structure, especially the police. Platkin said earlier this year that he would not blame the residents for distrusting the police.
Since the beginning of 2019, city police have shot and killed four people; two others, including Jameek Lowerydied after being restrained.
The appeals court ruling upheld Platkin’s takeover of the police internal affairs unit — the group charged with investigating the department itself in certain cases. City officials have not challenged the attorney general’s takeover of that part of the department.