PATERSON — Violent crime in Paterson has increased by 4.5% so far this year, even though the police department says there’s been a significant jump in the number of arrests.

Aggravated assaults account for the rise in violent crime in the city, with the number of such reported incidents growing from 514 in the first six months of 2023 to 573 for the same period this year — an 11% jump, according to police department statistics.

Meanwhile, robberies from January through June declined 8%, from 177 in 2023 to 158 in 2024. Sexual assaults declined 20%, from 35 to 28, the police data said. The number of murders in the first six months stayed the same as last year, with five.

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Paterson Press reviewed the crime data after the police department and New Jersey Attorney General’s Office issued a press release Monday afternoon about arrest numbers being higher this year.

Isa Abbassi, the state-appointed Officer in Charge of in Paterson, said the jump in arrests stemmed from improved sharing of crime information among different divisions within the department. For example, patrol officers during their roll calls are now given “intelligence packets” about wanted suspects, maps of neighborhoods with crime increases, and information about who is driving crime in the city, officials said.

“At the Paterson Police Department, we are breaking down silos and sharing information between our operational bureaus,” Abbassi said. “By better informing our members, officers are able to positively identify wanted suspects and bring them to justice.”

“Make no mistake, an increase in arrests is not the focus here,” Abbassi added. “It is a byproct of PPD honing our approach of sharing intelligence and precision policing, meaning our officers know who is driving violence, fear, and disorder in this city and have the tools available to take them off the streets.”

Paterson arrests up 27%

The number of people arrested in Paterson has increased by almost 27% over the first six months of 2024, from 1,321 to 1,681.

Most of that increase comes from people apprehended with pending warrants. In 2023, Paterson police made 75 warrant arrests in the first six months, officials said. That number skyrocketed to 386 warrant arrests so far this year. The press release did not provide a breakdown on the types of warrants — which can range from people wanted for unpaid tickets to suspects in serious crimes.

There also have been 34 more drug dealing arrests, 87 additional simple assault arrests, and 14 more assault with a weapon arrests, police officials said.

Paterson Black Lives Matter leader Zellie Thomas was less than impressed by the rising arrest data. “I think when you have an increase in arrests, it doesn’t necessarily make our city safer,” Thomas said.

The activist said the only way to stop “the endless cycle of crime” is to address the root causes of crime, such as poverty, joblessness, and poor housing. Thomas said that getting arrested often limits people’s access to the services they need to improve their lives.

The city’s BLM leader said he was not surprised that crime increased while arrests went up.

“It points to the failed strategies of policing,” Thomas said. “People assume that if you arrest more people, crime is going to go down.”

Mayor Andre Sayegh could not be reached for comment for this story.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ arrests are up, but has crime gone down?