PATERSON — Police ordered officers Friday to stay out of 23 bars and liquor stores in the city, places that law enforcement officials say are involved in illegal activity.
The ban directed at officers’ off-duty hours and said they could only enter the listed company “in the course of their duty of service.” Any officers who go to these cases on their own time will face discipline and an Internal Affairs investigation, officials said.
The warrant was issued less than a month after Paterson Police Officer Valentin Torres was accused of committing crimes at one of the bars on the list, the Mancora Lounge, when he went there off-duty. But officials said the ban order was already in the works before the incident occurred in late August.
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The November 1 memo from Officer-in-Charge Isa Abbassi provided a definition of those establishments that officers are not allowed to enter: “Any premises that are operating legitimately, but due to a history of repeated crimes or misdemeanors committed in the area, recent criminal intelligence or a history of or potential for police misconduct, or to prevent the appearance of improper conduct by members of the department.”
Several Paterson police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they understood the purpose of the order but questioned whether their rights were being violated.
Abbassi, a retired New York City police chief, said his former department had a similar directive. When asked about the officers’ right to come and go as they please when not on duty, he said: “More is expected of those officers, who are sworn to protect and serve the public .”
“They must adhere to high standards of integrity and professionalism,” Abbassi added.
The Paterson Policemen’s Benevolent Association declined to comment on the order.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Off-duty Paterson NJ police should avoid these bars and liquor stores
