N.J. attorney general takes over Paterson Police Department
Attorney General Matt Platkin assumed control of the embattled Paterson Police Department Monday, three weeks after an anti-violence activist in the city was killed by police while he was experiencing what his supporters have called a mental health crisis.
The announcement came with promises from Platkin that his office will reexamine how police officers statewide must behave when responding to mental health calls, expand a program pairing cops with mental health specialists into Passaic County, and repair the frayed relationship between Paterson residents and its police force.
“I know the announcement I’m making here today will not quell the strife in the city of Paterson overnight … but let me also be clear to all the residents of this great city: We will get there, and we will not leave until we do,” Platkin said Monday to a crowd of activists gathered to hear him speak on the steps of the city’s public safety headquarters.
The transition has already begun, with the chief of police relieved of his duties as of Monday morning and Platkin’s office seizing all law enforcement responsibilities, Platkin said.
Protestors have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the death of Najee Seabrooks, a 31-year-old activist who was shot and killed by Paterson cops after a four-hour standoff with police on March 3. The killing reignited conversations about police response to calls involving people suffering mental health crises.
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/nj-attorney-general-takes-over-paterson-police-department
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