Causes.com
| 6.1.23
NJ State Attorney Takes Control of Police Department
Should more states do the same?
What's the story?
- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has assumed direct control of the day-to-day operations of the town of Paterson's local police department.
- The move comes three weeks after police shot violence intervention activist Najee Seabooks.
- According to Platkin, the takeover resulted from "high-profile misconduct by the Paterson Police Department, including a number of criminal offenses committed by police officers."
- In this position, Platkin has introduced a community-led approach to policing. He has retrained officers on the use of force, replaced department leadership, held public meetings for sharing stories of police misconduct, and expanded programs that use trained civilians to replace police officers on certain calls.
- Currently, no other state grants attorneys general authority over local police.
Police abuses in Paterson
- The Paterson police department is one of New Jersey's most notorious, with reports of Paterson police officers having robbed, beaten, shot, and killed numerous Black men.
- From 2018 to 2020, despite making up only a quarter of the population, Black residents were targeted in 57% of Paterson's police department's instances of force.
- Paterson has the highest number of police-involved deaths of any department in New Jersey.
Police department takeovers
- Traditionally, mayors and police chiefs handle local police matters. However, the Paterson takeover reflects a larger trend of officials at various government levels asserting control over local public safety matters, which directly impact state and national elections.
- If successful, police department takeovers could serve as a national model, inspiring other attorneys general to pursue similar powers from their state legislatures as a way to solve systematic issues and restore trust in law enforcement.
- Democrats support state intervention to combat police abuses and discriminatory enforcement, while Republican interventions prioritize empowering police officers.
What do you think? Should more states do the same?
-Laura Woods
(Image credit: Flickr/James Duff)
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When there have been 40,000 payments at 25 of the nation’s largest police and sheriff’s departments in the last 10 years costing $3.2B+ to settle claims, in addition to wrongful deaths & beatings, state attorney generals have every right to get involved for the obvious crimes being committed against citizens as well as cities where tax dollars are not being spent on infrastructure and schools as it should be.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/police-misconduct-repeated-settlements/
It seems it's the job of state attorneys general to protect the civil rights of the people in their states, so this seems appropriate.
If a police department, or other body, is abusing the residents of an area, then the state AG should act to protect them.
I'm sad that Paterson has come to this, but it seems that this is the right move for New Jersey to take.
Meanwhile, how much money will spent on settlements to resolve all of this? And what will the taxpayers get in return?
Work with them not take over. They need to see what their actions cause.
When local proice depts.. break the law or show a trend of using excessive force, then it makes sense for a higher authority to take control of the dept. However, if the local dept. is adhering to the law, then higher authorities should not have a right to assume control The one thing I'd worry about is like in a state like FL where the governor is a whack job and would probably try to take over a local police dept. if they didn't go along with his anti-wok, anti-LBGTQ, anit-abortion, and basically anti-freedom/democracy policies. With that said if the local officials have been given a chance to correct the problems, but haven't done so, then someone needs to step in and reign them in.
NJ State Attorney Takes Control of Police Department
Should more states do the same?
Probably not, but I'm willing to take a "let's see approach" in this particular instance.
The implicit allegation is that Patterson PD is corrupt from Top to Bottom. This leaves little room for the NJAG to make reforms.
Hopefully, the NJAG was prepared to hit the ground running and take out several if not all the key players.
This situation brings to mind a cynical song about revolution and reform by The Who back in the 1970s, "Won't Get Fooled Again." The song ends with the line "Meet the new boss same as the old boss."
I'd love to be wrong.
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (Shepperton Studios / 1978)
https://youtu.be/UDfAdHBtK_Q
Discrimination
Many police departments have become autonomous groups that not even their town councils can control. The time of police that had a military background with training and discipline has long since passed. The people we have now are youngsters with limited training. They look at the high-paying job in comparison to what else is out there. They say they are underpaid for the work. Join the military and work for their pay first. The 20 and out for many retiring with full benefits at 40+ and going on to double dip is the true incentive. A military background should be required.
we need to get this violence under control.
States where the police have a major violence problem within the force SHOULD have some means for a higher authority to take charge and make needed changes. Alas, most states have no such provision in the state consitution or applicable code.
police regularly murder unarmed people with no accountabilty.
police are more dangerous then your average gang, because they have the power of the state behind them, and therefor, rarely face consequence for their actions.
the current police culture is toxic, and dangerous.
First let me say I support police but they need hold accountable for their actions.
Police must be accountable.
These cops have to be reigned in! Somewhere along the way, they've deemed themselves judge, jury & executioner...causing harm that they're supposed to protect citizens from.
Yes
Really depends on each individual situation
PDs need better supervision.
You keep asking this inflammatory questions with little details. Sound byte polling is unproductive and irresponsible
That's insane. Crime will go throught the roof in blue States.