The Paterson Police department is notorious for its criminality and abuse. Despite its small size, it has had nearly 20 federal indictments and investigations since 2010. The Paterson Police Department is also the most deadly police department in New Jersey, killing the most people in relative and absolute terms in the state. After years of violence and abuse, culminating with the police murder of Najee Seabooks, the state of New Jersey took over the police force in 2023 before a court ordered the city take back control in December 2024. Despite the numerous administrative changes, the police department remains committed to upholding what all police departments ultimately do, protect capital interests, the criminalization of the poor and the targeting of communities of color.
This section holds research on police violence by tracking trends, expenditure, abuse, and other ways that the PPD exercises its power against the poor and marginalized communities.
Asked about police intervention in Paterson by editor Tom Moran, Jerry Speziale, the public safety director in Paterson, provided a sobering response: “Today’s victims are tomorrow’s shooters,” he said. “You get retaliation… You go out and become the shooter. So, it’s almost like that, going back and forth.”
Ignoring calls for budget reallocation and structural reform, the City of Paterson responds to community outcry by hosting a “Shop with a Cop Event” no one asked for.
It’s called copaganda.
As politicians work with corporate and business partners to reinvent Paterson’s economy, increased policing is raising concerns for Patersonians trying to reclaim their right to the city