Police in Paterson, New Jersey, are trying new tactics to track down illegal clubs

PATERSON — For years, operators of illegal after-hours clubs in Paterson have counted police raids as part of the cost of doing business, according to law enforcement officials.

The police would issue tickets, the operators would pay a few hundred dollars in fines, and the clubs would reopen in a few weeks or sooner.

But the police nightlife task force, created in February, is testing new tactics to increase the impact of its measures, officials say.

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The officers are accompanied by fire inspectors who, according to authorities, have imposed hefty fines totaling more than $200,000 since April 5.

“We’re trying to make it very expensive for these people to do business in Paterson,” said city law director Aymen Aboushi.

In addition, the task force has targeted the owners of the land on which the clubs operate, seeking to revoke the buildings’ building permits and seize the land, authorities said.

“If you owned one of these places, I would be very concerned,” said Isa Abbassi, the state-appointed chief of the Paterson Police Department.

According to Abbassi, authorities in Paterson have identified nearly 60 locations where illegal clubs open their doors and stay open all night, even when bars are forced to close.

Weekly task force updates posted on the police Facebook page show that around 50 venues have been closed or prevented from opening since the raids began. But police admit there have been many cases of repeat violations – clubs closing for a weekend and then reopening, only to be raided again.

More:About 25 police officers flock to a Paterson auto repair shop and handcuff at least five people during a nighttime raid

The clubs are active in industrial buildings, warehouses, residential buildings and commercial establishments such as auto repair shops and hair salons, officials said.

Mayor Andre Sayegh’s office released statistics from the Nightlife Task Force during a press conference Thursday. The city said 78 arrests were made, 379 criminal charges were filed and 244 administrative complaints were filed.

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