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Statement: NJ Violence Intervention & Prevention Coalition About Takeover of Paterson Police and …
Statement by New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition
“The Attorney General’s action is a necessary first step toward justice, but there is still a need for accountability for the past harms and violence committed by the Paterson police department.
This includes removing all those in leadership positions during the unnecessary shooting of Najee Seabrooks on March 3, 2023. The Paterson community has endured irrevocable harm by the hands of the police that killed Najee, a HVIP team member from a program funded by the AG’s office.
Paterson must be compelled to invest in a non-carceral crisis response team made-up of fully funded and trained community members and there needs to be change at the highest levels of law enforcement in Passaic County. By taking over the Paterson police the Attorney General is acknowledging there have been transgressions and that harm has been committed.
