PATERSON — Prominent and powerful statewide organizations and individuals filed legal briefs with the New Jersey Supreme Court on Friday taking sides in the battle for control of the Paterson Police Department.
The New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association called Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s takeover of the city department an “arbitrary exercise of unchecked power” and an “unbridled intervention into local affairs without any statutory authority.”
But the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said the state intervention was needed in Paterson to address the “systematic failures” and “pervasive patterns of abuse and the lack of internal accountability” that created community distrust toward city police officers.
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Those dueling arguments were submitted to the Supreme Court as it considers Platkin’s request for a review of last month’s appellate panel ruling that said his office’s takeover had no basis in state law.
The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Stuart Rabner, decided on Dec. 19 that the state could retain control of the Police Department until there’s further action as the court decides whether to take the case.
The Supreme Court gets more than 1,000 appeal requests per year and agrees to hear about 100 of them, officials said.
Six former attorneys general say appellate ruling is wrong
Platkin is getting support from his predecessors, as six former attorneys general — Gurbir Grewal, Christopher Porrino, Peter Harvey, John Farmer, Peter Verniero and John Degnan — filed a brief asserting the appellate court’s ruling was wrong.
The former attorneys general said the takeover power — officially known as supersession — is supported by past judicial decisions, historical practice, and common law under the Criminal Justice Act of 1970.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin is getting support from his predecessors as six former attorneys general — Gurbir Grewal, Christopher Porrino, Peter Harvey, John Farmer, Peter Verniero (shown here), and John Degnan — filed a brief asserting the appellate court’s ruling was wrong.
“When necessary, such supersession is in the public’s interest,” they said.
The litigation contesting the attorney general’s takeover was filed in fall 2023 by ousted Paterson Police Chief Engelbert Ribeiro, assistant public safety director Mark Bulur and Mayor Andre Sayegh. Their lawyers submitted briefs on Dec. 31 urging the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal.
More: How long before we know whether city or state runs the Paterson Police Department?
“Defendants’ takeover of the PPD rests entirely on a whim, the very definition of an arbitrary and capricious action,” said the attorneys for Sayegh, Ribeiro and Bulur. “The purported authority for supersession of municipal police departments was simply made up — manufactured without a shred of legislative authority justifying the disregard of rights reserved for municipalities.”
Under New Jersey law, the Attorney General’s Office must convince the Supreme Court that the appellate court made a legal error for the appeal to be heard.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: PBA, ACLU file briefs over NJ takeover of Paterson police