Office of Policing Strategy and Innovation, Led by Executive Director Isa Abbassi, Will Bring Statewide, Centralized Approach to Policing Policy, Research, and Technology

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced the creation of the Office of Policing Strategy and Innovation (OPSI) in the Department of Law and Public Safety (LPS), to promote continued and furthered excellence in policing across the state and the more than 40,000 law enforcement officers employed by more than 530 law enforcement agencies in New Jersey.

Established by Administrative Directive 2024-05, OPSI will promote consistency across law enforcement agencies with the goal of achieving excellence in policing in New Jersey. The Office will advise the Attorney General on policing policy, strategy, and innovation; support law enforcement in identifying and responding to serious and emerging concerns; and identify opportunities to improve by reviewing current practices and research, developing training, and promoting technological innovation. OPSI will lead LPS’s continued commitment to transformation and innovation in policing. OPSI will also serve as a resource in current, and any prospective, supersession of law enforcement agencies by operationalizing the Attorney General’s vision and goals and providing monitoring for agencies identified by the Office. OPSI will begin operating on November 22, 2024.

“The demands of modern-day policing necessitate a statewide, centralized approach that can advise and support law enforcement agencies and encourage their growth and improvement,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The law enforcement profession continues to become more complex, with officers needing to adapt to new technology, to understand emerging practices and strategies while receiving little guidance on what works best or is reliably based in research or evidence, and to operate at a level of leadership for which they may not have been adequately prepared. I am creating this Office as a resource for the law enforcement community as they meet these needs.”

The inaugural Executive Director of OPSI will be Isa M. Abbassi, who has served as the Officer in Charge of the Paterson Police Department (PPD) since May 2023, following the Office of the Attorney General’s supersession of that agency after a series of events and concerns prompted a crisis of public confidence in the department. The PPD made significant improvements under Abbassi’s leadership, including an 18% reduction in violent crime in 2023, a continuing steep decline in murders and shootings in 2024, and enhanced professionalism among officers, while rebuilding trust through improved community relationships. Executive Director Abbassi will remain involved in the Attorney General’s supersession of the Paterson Police Department as his appointed Monitor. Joining Abbassi at OPSI will be Deputy Executive Directors James Haggerty and Joseph Walsh, who have been instrumental in many of the strategic successes achieved in Paterson.

OPSI will become the new home of the Bureau of Policing Policy (BPP), which has been part of LPS’ Office of Public Integrity and Accountability since its creation in 2019. BPP’s revised mission directs it to devise new policing policy, make new and existing policies more accessible to law enforcement, revise existing policies to address gaps or shortfalls or enhance policy for best practices, modernize existing policies, and minimize or eliminate conflicting or obsolete guidance.

OPSI will also coordinate with other offices and divisions across LPS, including the Police Training Commission, the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards, and the New Jersey State Police, on policy and program matters, data collection to promote transparency and accountability, and opportunities to improve officer resiliency and public safety and trust. OPSI, reporting to the Attorney General through First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, will also play a critical role in monitoring the progress of the NJSP in implementing the Attorney General’s recently issued recommendations for reform within NJSP.

“This new Office will provide important direction for both improving public safety and supporting the growth and resilience of New Jersey’s police officers,” said Attorney General Platkin. “I can think of no better leader for that effort than Isa Abbassi, who has done an incredible job at the Paterson Police Department. His strategic thinking and attention to detail inspire confidence and will benefit residents and officers statewide.”

“Through the Office of Policing Strategy and Innovation, we will assess New Jersey’s network of law enforcement agencies and find ways to ensure that New Jersey residents are afforded the very best public safety system in the nation,” said Abbassi. “We look forward to strengthening relationships with local, state, and federal partners that put the safety and best interests of residents and their communities first, and to help develop tools and guidance that will allow law enforcement leaders around the state to maximize their already significant efforts to keep their communities safe while caring for their members.”

Before joining the PPD, Abbassi worked for 26 years at the New York City Police Department, where he gained senior leadership experience in investigative, administrative, and patrol assignments, ultimately serving as NYPD’s chief strategy officer, rising to the rank of 3-star chief of strategic initiatives.

While Abbassi will remain engaged at the Paterson Police Department as Attorney General Platkin’s appointed monitor, the PPD’s day-to-day operations will be managed by Officer in Charge Patrick Murray, a 39-year veteran of the department who has been Abbassi’s second-in-command throughout the supersession and now moves up from Deputy Officer in Charge.

“Executive Director Abbassi and I have complete confidence in Office in Charge Murray,” said Attorney General Platkin. “OIC Murray has been a dedicated and critical partner in our efforts to transform the Paterson Police Department for both its officers and the community. As a true Patersonian, a dedicated public servant, and a trusted law enforcement leader, I know that our vision for Paterson will continue to be realized with OIC Murray in charge of the day-to-day operations.”

Murray, who was born and raised in Paterson, joined the PPD in June 1985, following in his father’s footsteps as a second-generation Paterson police officer. During his career, he has been assigned to the Patrol Bureau, Burglary Squad, Anti-Crime Unit, Major Crimes Bureau, and Special Investigations Division. In 2006, at the time a Detective Sergeant, he became a supervisor of the newly established Ceasefire Unit, which was tasked with the responsibility of reducing gun violence in the City. He became a strong advocate for police and community working together and continues that commitment today.

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