NJ Supreme Court Affirms AG’s Oversight Of Paterson Police

The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state Attorney General’s office can continue overseeing the Paterson Police Department, a critical decision coming two years after local officials sued the state.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin stepped in to take control of the police department after officers killed Najee Seabrooks in March 2023. Issues with Paterson police stemmed back for years, with advocates repeatedly raising concerns about alleged police misconduct and mounting community mistrust.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh and the former Police Chief Englebert Riberio–who was replaced by Platkin’s appointee, ex-NYPD officer Isa Abbassi–challenged the takeover in court. In December 2024, they won a temporary victory when a state appellate court ruled that the state’s intervention was unlawful.

Wednesday’s ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court did not give the state Attorney General authority to take over other municipal police departments. However, Platkin welcomed the outcome.

“As we have said for years, my office’s supersession of the Paterson Police Department is lawful—and we applaud the New Jersey Supreme Court for unanimously upholding that decision. For more than two years now, members of my department have worked side-by-side with the hard-working men and women of the PPD to make Paterson safer for all its residents,” said Platkin in a written statement.

Social justice advocates who filed amicus briefs in the case celebrated the court’s decision, calling it a “win” for residents of color in Paterson and efforts to rebuild public trust.

“We now urge the legislature to codify the Attorney General’s power of supersession over municipal police departments expressly into law – including with public participation in the process – to allow for necessary oversight when other police departments fail their residents,” said Henal Patel, law and policy director for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, in a statement.

Liza Chowdhury, executive director of Reimagining Justice, Inc.—where Seabrooks worked under one of its programs—also supported the ruling. Her organization joined the amicus brief because, as she put it, communities need “mechanisms in place to hold police departments accountable, especially when public trust is eroded, as it has been in Paterson.”

“We will continue to support the efforts of the Attorney General’s office, Paterson City officials, and the Paterson Police Department to address the concerns and needs of the community members we service effectively,” Chowdhury said.

Platkin’s takeover includes a 55-point strategic plan. Once it is complete, he will release control of the police department. His plan has focused on building direct engagement with community members and police officers, as well as providing more mental health crisis training for officers. 

As of June 2025, 91% of the plan’s goals have been achieved, the state Attorney General’s office said in a statement.

Paterson also adopted ARRIVE Together, a program that pairs mental health professionals and police, after Seabrooks’ death.

In March 2023, Seabrooks had called 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis. Notably, he was a violence interventionist with Paterson Healing Collective. His colleagues were trained to de-escalate crises like his and were on the scene that day, but were not allowed by officers to help.

Seabrooks’ death represented a watershed moment in New Jersey, which not only led to the police department takeover, but also the expansion of community-led violence intervention programs.