MAYOR ANDRE SAYEGH ANNOUNCES

CITY OF PATERSON AWARDED COPS GRANT.

PATERSON – Today, Mayor Andre Sayegh together with Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Michael Baycora announced the City of Paterson has been awarded a $1.88 million COPS grant, the largest grant amount received in the state. The COPS grant, given by the U.S. Department of Justice is a Cops Hiring Program (CHP) that will allow the City of Paterson to hire 10 new officers.

Mayor Sayegh said, “This grant will allow us to put more officers on the street, as this funding comes at a pivotal point in time.  Currently, the national sentiment tells us that we must be increasingly mindful of how we enforce the law. At the local level, recent and senseless acts of violence demonstrate that we need to be more vigilant than ever, addressing threats that take young lives and instill fear.  As we bolster our public safety efforts, my administration remains committed to building trust between local police officers and residents, while keeping our community safe.  This has been made evident by an ongoing audit of our Police Department that was aimed at ensuring best practices.  We are focused on striking the right balance for Paterson.”

Funding for the officers will allow for expanded support in reducing gun violence. The Police Department will further focus on fostering police and citizen contact, in-service training adjustments, citizen complaint mediation, and data collection to support problem solving.

Mayor Sayegh’s priority is the safety of Patersonians and to get guns off the street. The Paterson Police Department has been working tirelessly to continue to seize weapons and has taken 102 guns off the street this year.