New Jersey Supreme Court temporarily leaves attorney general in charge of Paterson police

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey's top court on Thursday agreed to temporarily pause a lower court decision that determined the attorney general overstepped his authority when he took control of the Paterson Police Department.

The Supreme Court of New Jersey's temporary pause means Attorney General Matt Platkin's officer in charge will remain in control of the department, the attorney general said. The high court issued the stay without elaboration, and Attorney General Matt Platkin praised the decision in a post on X.

“As our appeal proceeds, the PPD will continue to run as it has since March 2023: ensuring public safety while strengthening community trust,” Platkin said.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Appellate Division said Platkin had no authority to “supersede,” or take over, Paterson's police force in March 2023 after the headline-grabbing death of Najee Seabrooks, who was fatally shot by officers after barricading himself in an apartment bathroom.

The court directed Platkin to return control of the police department to city officials and return Police Chief Engelbert Ribeiro to the city from a police training commission, but that decision is on hold after the Supreme Court's order.

The court's decision comes as the Biden administration puts other departments under a microscope, including Trenton's, which it said has a pattern and practice of misconduct, and as Platkin has called for more police accountability around the state. .

Paterson has a population of about 160,000 and lies about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan. Its demographics shifted in recent decades from a mostly white city to one today where Black residents account for nearly 24% and Hispanics for just over 60% of the population.

As Paterson’s Black population grew, it found itself clashing with the city’s white power structure, particularly its police force. Platkin said earlier this year that he wouldn't blame residents for being distrustful of the police.

Since the start of 2019, city police fatally shot four people; two others, including Jameek Lowery, have died after being restrained.

The appeals court's ruling left in place Platkin's takeover of the police department's internal affairs unit — the group charged with investigating the department itself in certain cases. City officials did not challenge the attorney general's takeover of that part of the department.