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Residents press Paterson council for accountability after weekend crashes and delayed police response
Summary
Dozens of residents at the May 13 meeting urged the council to demand stronger police accountability and faster emergency response after multiple recent incidents, including a crash involving a council member and extended police delays reporting to a residential break‑in.
Angry and grieving residents packed the Paterson council chamber May 13 to demand accountability from city officials and police after a pair of high‑profile incidents and what several speakers said were repeated failures in emergency response.
Multiple speakers called for action and, in some cases, removal of an elected official after a weekend crash that left a woman dead in another jurisdiction and prompted public outrage. Commissioner Corey Teague of the Paterson School Board said the council had a duty to act: "At what point are we going to say that this particular councilman needs to be removed from the city council?" he asked the dais.
In separate public comments, several residents described delayed police response times to active break‑ins. Michelle Kitchen and Kamisha Rogers Jones said they called 911 while watching Ring‑camera footage of a break‑in in real time and waited more than three hours before police arrived. "How can an active break in not be urgent?" Kitchen asked. "This delay made me feel helpless and my sister unprotected."
Esmeralda Figueroa told the council she had been left without a resolution after a parked car she owns was struck by another vehicle she said was driven by "a member of this council." "I need resolution and accountability," Figueroa said; she told staff she had missed job interviews and appointments because her car was unusable.
Several speakers criticized perceived inconsistent policing and questioned whether on-scene sobriety testing and follow-up were conducted in recent traffic incidents involving local officials. Others urged stronger community programs for youth, better police-community relations and increased enforcement where response is slow.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and asked police leadership and the administration to respond; the public portion of the meeting ran long and the council later moved to an executive session for pending legal matters.
