Paterson police to be equipped with body cameras following corruption probe

Officers in the Paterson Police Department will soon be outfitted with body cameras – a decision that comes after the FBI arrested eight officers in a corruption investigation.

News 12 Staff

Jan 14, 2020, 10:48 PM

Updated 1,574 days ago

Share:

Officers in the Paterson Police Department will soon be outfitted with body cameras – a decision that comes after the FBI arrested eight officers in a corruption investigation.
Mayor Andre Sayegh says that putting cameras on the city’s 150 police officers benefits everyone.
“Because it holds everyone accountable in every interaction,” the mayor says. “Police officers and whomsoever is part of that incident.
The city will pay a company named Axon Enterprise $600,000 for the cameras and video storage over a 5-year period. The money will come from forfeiture funds.
The cameras also come one year after the death of Paterson resident Jameek Lowery, who died while in police custody. Sayegh says that if police had cameras at the time, it is possible that the case would have played out differently.
"It would've given more clarity early on without having to wait for an autopsy. You would've seen exactly what the officers did,” he says.
Lowery, 27, showed up at police headquarters behaving erratically and claiming he took too much ecstasy. An investigation showed that he tried to fight off police officers as they placed him in an ambulance and that police had to use force to keep him down.
An autopsy showed he had meningitis and had ingested the drug known as “Bath Salts.” The report stated that Lowery didn't die because of police brutality.
The mayor says that perhaps if the cameras were in use, the public would've known much sooner what really happened.
"We just want to make sure on both sides, public and police, we know what's happening,” Sayegh says.
Officers should be receiving the cameras within the next few months.


More from News 12
1:35
Child struck by vehicle in Spring Valley, 5th incident in 2024

Child struck by vehicle in Spring Valley, 5th incident in 2024

1:50
Sunny skies, comfortable conditions today before rain returns Wednesday

Sunny skies, comfortable conditions today before rain returns Wednesday

0:39
 ‘Melanie’s Law’ passes state Senate, heads for final approval

‘Melanie’s Law’ passes state Senate, heads for final approval

0:29
Attorney General James sues local clinics for abortion-reversal claims

Attorney General James sues local clinics for abortion-reversal claims

0:20
East Ramapo parents rally for school reform

East Ramapo parents rally for school reform

0:50
Headlines: Brewster police mourn death of officer, Newburgh man sentenced for rape, Westchester man arrested for larceny

Headlines: Brewster police mourn death of officer, Newburgh man sentenced for rape, Westchester man arrested for larceny

0:29
Dutchess County Sheriff's Office rescues 90 cats living in disarray

Dutchess County Sheriff's Office rescues 90 cats living in disarray

1:42
24-year-old double organ transplant recipient hosts blood drive in Pomona

24-year-old double organ transplant recipient hosts blood drive in Pomona

1:36
‘Very best’ of PD: City of Newburgh promotes longtime lieutenant to chief

‘Very best’ of PD: City of Newburgh promotes longtime lieutenant to chief

1:49
SUNY Purchase faculty and students want disciplinary action against protesters dropped

SUNY Purchase faculty and students want disciplinary action against protesters dropped

0:50
Orange County cracks down on drivers who illegally pass school buses with cameras

Orange County cracks down on drivers who illegally pass school buses with cameras

1:56
Ceremony held to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day in White Plains

Ceremony held to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day in White Plains

1:01
Tuckahoe Village Board hears Ward House appeal

Tuckahoe Village Board hears Ward House appeal

0:23
State police work to ID body that washed ashore in Poughkeepsie

State police work to ID body that washed ashore in Poughkeepsie

0:35
Rockland DA: 23-year-old man indicted in New City driveway stabbing

Rockland DA: 23-year-old man indicted in New City driveway stabbing

1:11
SUNY Purchase creates ‘protest zone’ following encampment break up by police

SUNY Purchase creates ‘protest zone’ following encampment break up by police

0:45
Hudson River Clean Up Day celebrates 13th year

Hudson River Clean Up Day celebrates 13th year

1:53
FEMA awards Babbitt Court with grant to raise homes to reduce flooding

FEMA awards Babbitt Court with grant to raise homes to reduce flooding

1:20
Headlines: Putnam Valley man dies in excavating accident, 2 injured in Newburgh fire, man charged with larceny in Liberty

Headlines: Putnam Valley man dies in excavating accident, 2 injured in Newburgh fire, man charged with larceny in Liberty

2:15
Turn To Tara explores how to stay safe from ‘cyber kidnapping’ scams

Turn To Tara explores how to stay safe from ‘cyber kidnapping’ scams