Paterson police receive major upgrades as city battles to regain local control of department
The city's police department has been run by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office since March 2023 following a "crisis of confidence."
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The Paterson Police Department unveiled a series of upgrades on Thursday that they hope will keep the streets safer.
The city's police department has been run by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office since March 2023 following a "crisis of confidence."
"The opening of this new police operations center represents more than a building or a room filled with technology. It represents a new way of keeping our city safe, smarter, and more responsive," said Paterson Police Department Officer in Charge Patrick Murray.
The biggest change to Paterson PD headquarters is the addition of a Real Time Operations Center, which is a hub for monitoring data and video intelligence.
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Another key facet of the upgrades is an expansion to the department's drone program.
"Drones are a game-changing public safety tool. They give us an aerial perspective that simply wasn't possible before," Murray said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin visited Paterson Thursday to see the latest improvements for himself.
"When I was here in March of 2023, there were barricades in front of the building. Now, you see the community embracing...People who were standing outside protesting us are now embracing the work being done here, and I think the work in this room is symbolic of the change," he said.
Platkin is set to step down from his position this month.
"I do not think this is a permanent role for the state. I think there are some additional steps to be taken before we get there. It will obviously be a new administration," he said when asked about the possibility of handing over control of the police department back to the City of Paterson.
Meanwhile, Paterson city officials said they are actively working to regain control in the next administration.
"The goal is to get control back. We will have a new AG in about a week or so. We've already had that conversation. So, this is about going forward and doing it in lock step," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
