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New Jersey’s attorney general said Monday that his office has taken control of the police department in the state’s third-largest city, Paterson, less than a month after officers there fatally shot a well-known crisis intervention worker during a tense standoff.

Attorney General Matt Platkin said at a news conference that his office had assumed control of all police functions without delay, including the division that investigates internal police matters. His announcement didn’t mention the shooting of 31-year-old Najee Seabrooks directly, but it reflected activists’ concerns about how the department was being run.

“There is a crisis of confidence in law enforcement in this city,” he said to brief cheers and calls of “Thank you” from the audience. “Something has to change, and it will change starting now. Earlier this morning, I exercised my authority as attorney general and superseded the Paterson Police Department.”

NEW JERSEY ANTI-VIOLENCE WORKER SHOT BY POLICE AFTER EMERGING FROM APARTMENT WITH KNIFE

Platkin said the takeover amounted to a “pledge” to residents and officers that the state is committed to safety in the city.

Isa Abbassi, a 25-year veteran of the New York Police Department currently serving as the chief of strategic initiatives there, will take charge of Paterson’s police department in May, Platkin said. In the meantime, a New Jersey State Police officer will serve as the department’s interim head.

In addition to the takeover, Platkin said he’s implementing some other changes. They include a program that pairs a police officer with a mental health screener in an unmarked vehicle to respond to 911 calls about mental or behavioral health issues.

He also said the state will revamp its protocols statewide for dealing with people who have barricaded themselves in a room or building — as Seabrooks had done for more than five hours before he was killed. Platkin also formed a “working group” to study and make recommendations on interactions between police officers and violence intervention officers.

The standoff started about 8 a.m. March 3 when police were called to Seabrooks’ brother’s apartment where he had been holed up in the bathroom. Seabrooks, who was a crisis intervention worker and mentor with the nonprofit Paterson Healing Collective, had called 911 at least seven times and told dispatchers that people were threatening him and he needed immediate help.

Police arrived soon after and talked to him through the door, offering to get him water and calling him “love” in one instance. But the tension increased when he told police he was armed with a “pocket rocket” gun and a knife.

Police shot Seabrooks when he emerged from the bathroom with a knife, according to the attorney general’s office.

His death shook his co-workers, who were at the scene and texting with him, Seabrooks’ boss at the Paterson Healing Collective Liza Chowdhury said. She said Seabrooks had been texting with colleagues, asking to see them, but that police blocked the co-workers from entering the apartment.

Chowdhury said Monday that she appreciated Platkin’s decision, but she also called on him to fire the officers who were involved in the shooting.

In the weeks since his death, anti-violence advocates organized a vigil calling for a number of reforms, including the creation of a civilian review board. The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice has called on the Justice Department to investigate the city’s police department, and the ACLU of New Jersey said the shooting shows the need to invest in non-law enforcement responses to mental health calls.

It isn’t clear how long the takeover will last. Platkin said he’s “in for the long haul.”

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Platkin didn’t specify what behavior led to the takeover, but his office has been involved in a handful of investigations in the city of more than 150,000 that’s roughly 20 miles northwest of New York.

In February, Platkin announced an aggravated assault charge against a Paterson officer who he said shot a fleeing unarmed man. In December, a grand jury declined to indict Paterson police officers involved in the death of a man they restrained two months earlier.

The U.S. Department of Justice has the power to sue police departments where there has been an established pattern of illegal behavior, corruption or unconstitutional policing practices, and issue legally binding consent decrees to require changes in those practices. It recently issued a report that will lead to a consent decree in Louisville, Kentucky, and it put the police department in New Jersey’s biggest city, Newark, under federal supervision.

State actions against local departments are less common because of local control is often stipulated in state constitutions.

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Paterson’s police department is the largest to be taken over by the state in recent years, but it isn’t the only one. Among the others are the 11-officer department in Lavallette, as well as three others in Union County.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout announced Monday he teamed up with Tiger Woods to build a golf course near his hometown in New Jersey. It is slated to open in 2025.

Trout National – The Reserve will be located in Vineland located nearly 7 miles from his hometown of Millville and 41 miles outside of Philadelphia. Trout teamed up with Woods and his company, TGR Design, to make the dream of building a golf course a reality.

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“We promised you all a big announcement and here it is!” Trout tweeted. “We are so excited to be able to make a longtime dream of mine a reality, with none other than @tigerwoods and @tgrdesignbytw. We can’t wait to share more updates with you as we create Trout National – The Reserve.”

The course will feature a “trendsetting clubhouse, five-star lodging, innovative amenities, a wedding chapel and more,” according to a news release.

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“I’m so excited to finally officially announce that we’re doing this project, and doing it in a community that means so much to me,” Trout added, via NJ.com. “I was born in Vineland and raised in Millville. I met my wife, Jessica, in Millville, and my parents and siblings and in-laws still live in the area. I could put down roots anywhere in the country, but Jessica and I make south Jersey our off-season home and always cherish the time we get to spend there.”

The golf course will be on the other side of the Delaware River, but for now, any hopes and dreams of Trout himself coming to the area to play for the Philadelphia Phillies should be put on ice.

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Trout signed a 12-year, $426.5 million contract in 2019 and will be under contract with the organization through the 2030 season.

Tiger Woods and Mike Trout, two of the biggest names in the PGA and MLB, respectively, are joining forces with plans to build a new golf course named Trout National – The Reserve in Vineland, New Jersey. The course, announced Monday, is scheduled to open in 2025 with Woods’ golf course architecture firm — TGR Design — heading the effort.

“It’s pretty incredible having a chance to own your own golf course,” Trout told Sports Illustrated . “Getting Tiger to design it is crazy. If you had told me before that this would happen one day, I would have said you are crazy. It’s more than I ever thought possible.”

Trout, a native and resident of southern New Jersey, teased the announcement Sunday night on social media. While Phillies faithful were hoping for an unlikely addition to their team, they will ultimately need to settle for a golf course located 45 minutes outside the city.

Trout National is expected to feature 18 holes of championship golf, state-of-the-art practice facilities, a trendy clubhouse, wedding chapel and five-star accommodations.

“I’ve always watched Mike on the diamond, so when an opportunity arose to work with him on Trout National – The Reserve, I couldn’t pass it up,” Woods stated in his press release. “It’s a great site for golf and our team’s looking forward to creating a special course for Mike, Jessica, John and Lorie.”

Despite carrying the torch as arguably the biggest American-born name in Major League Baseball, Trout couldn’t help but contain his excitement when discussing the partnership with the 15-time major champion.

“My favorite golfer growing up obviously was Tiger,” the three-time American League Most Valuable Player said. “I thought it would be pretty cool to reach out. We reached out, got a positive vibe when we mentioned it and got his team down to the site. Once Tiger’s team came down to the site, they loved it. It’s surreal. I mean, it’s friggin’ Tiger! We talk now. I’m starting to get to know him. I talk to him over the telephone. It’s pretty crazy.”