Paterson Arrest Records Lookup
Paterson arrest records are tracked through the city police department, the Passaic County court system, and the county sheriff's office. Paterson has about 159,000 residents and is the largest city in Passaic County. In 2024, the city logged 1,230 arrests, the highest count of any town in the county. Records from these arrests are held at multiple offices, and getting the full picture often means checking more than one source. Each agency keeps its own files, from the police report at the start to the court case at the end.
Paterson Arrest Records Quick Facts
Paterson Police Arrest Reports
The Paterson Police Department handles all street-level arrests in the city. In 2024, officers made 1,230 arrests. The top charges were simple assault with 204 cases, aggravated assault with 146, and DUI with 143. These numbers make Paterson the busiest city for arrests in all of Passaic County.
Getting a copy of a police arrest report in Paterson works differently than in most towns. You do not file your records request with the police department. Instead, all OPRA requests in Paterson go through the City Clerk's office. The email for requests is oprarequest@patersonnj.gov. The City Clerk is on the 3rd floor of City Hall at 155 Market Street. The phone number is (973) 321-1213.
| OPRA Requests | City Clerk, 3rd Floor, City Hall 155 Market Street, Paterson, NJ |
|---|---|
| oprarequest@patersonnj.gov | |
| Phone (Clerk) | (973) 321-1213 |
| Records Division | (973) 321-1160 |
| Megan's Law | (973) 321-1123 |
The Paterson Police Records Division can be reached at (973) 321-1160. This office holds the actual arrest files, but the formal request must go through the clerk. The law that governs these requests is the Open Public Records Act under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. The city has seven business days to respond. Be specific in your request. Include the name of the person, the date of the arrest if you know it, and any case or complaint numbers.
Note: All Paterson OPRA requests go to the City Clerk, not to the police department directly.
Paterson Municipal Court Arrest Cases
The Paterson Municipal Court is at 111 Broadway, Paterson NJ 07505. The phone number is 973-321-1515. This court is one of the busiest in the state. It runs 24 sessions each week with five judges who rotate on a round-the-clock basis. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM, with evening sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Tuesday from 5:30 to 8 PM. The court also holds virtual hearings via Zoom.
The municipal court handles arrest cases for disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses, and local ordinance violations. These are the less serious charges. If someone is arrested in Paterson for a bar fight, shoplifting under a certain dollar amount, or a DUI, the case goes here. Each case creates a file that holds the arrest complaint, court dates, plea, and outcome.
The court's prosecutor is Domenick Stampone. The prosecutor's office reviews each arrest complaint that comes in from the police and decides how to proceed. If the case moves forward, it gets a court date and enters the system. You can ask the court clerk for records from your own case or file a formal request for someone else's case. Public access to court records follows the rules set by the New Jersey Judiciary.
The source for the image below is the Paterson Municipal Court, where many arrest cases in the city are resolved.
The court building on Broadway is where most lower-level arrest cases from Paterson get their day in court.
Passaic County Sheriff Records
The Passaic County Sheriff's Office is involved in warrant arrests and court security across the county, including Paterson. The main phone number is (973) 389-5900. The records unit can be reached at (973) 389-5920. The sheriff carries out bench warrants issued by judges when people miss court dates in Paterson. Each warrant arrest creates a separate record in the sheriff's files.
One thing that sets Passaic County apart is that the sheriff does not run its own jail. People arrested in Paterson who need to be held before trial go to the Bergen County Jail or the Hudson County Correctional Center. This means booking records for Paterson arrests may be at a facility in a different county. If you need jail or booking data for someone arrested in Paterson, you may have to call Bergen or Hudson County to find it.
The image below shows the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, which processes warrant arrests across the county including Paterson.
The sheriff's office works closely with local police in Paterson on cases that involve outstanding warrants.
Note: Passaic County does not have its own jail; inmates go to Bergen County or Hudson County facilities.
Search Paterson Arrest Records Online
The fastest way to look up indictable criminal cases from Paterson is through the PROMIS/Gavel system. This is the state's online case search tool. It covers all counties, including Passaic. Cases from Paterson use the format PAS-[year]-[sequence number]. The tool shows convictions only. It does not show pending cases or cases that ended without a conviction.
To use it, go to the NJ Courts public page and click through to the criminal case lookup. You will need to pass a CAPTCHA. Then you can search by name or by case number. The system is free and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Results include the charges, the conviction date, and the sentence. It does not include the arrest report itself, but it tells you the outcome of cases that started with a Paterson arrest.
For a broader search of court records, the NJ Courts public portal links to multiple tools. You can find case data, court calendars, and filing information. If you know the docket number for a Paterson case, you can pull it up directly. Without a docket number, a name search will return all matching cases in Passaic County.
Paterson Arrest Trends in 2024
Paterson recorded 1,230 arrests in 2024. That is the highest total of any city in Passaic County. The data breaks down by charge type, which gives a picture of what kinds of cases flow through the system.
The top arrest charges in Paterson for 2024 were:
- Simple assault: 204 arrests
- Aggravated assault: 146 arrests
- DUI: 143 arrests
Assault charges made up the largest share of arrests. Simple assault is a disorderly persons offense that stays in municipal court. Aggravated assault is an indictable crime that goes to the county Superior Court. DUI cases go through municipal court but carry their own set of penalties and license consequences. The mix of charge types means arrest records from Paterson are spread across both court levels.
These numbers come from local law enforcement data. They reflect only arrests, not convictions. An arrest record exists whether the case ends in a guilty plea, a trial, or a dismissal. The outcome shows up in the court record, not in the arrest report itself. To see how a specific Paterson arrest case turned out, you need to check the court records through PROMIS/Gavel or at the clerk's office.
Filing an OPRA Request in Paterson
The Open Public Records Act gives you the right to ask for government records in New Jersey. This includes arrest reports, incident reports, and other police records from Paterson. The law is at N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. It sets out what you can ask for, how the agency must respond, and what is exempt from release.
In Paterson, all OPRA requests go to the City Clerk at 155 Market Street, 3rd Floor. You can email your request to oprarequest@patersonnj.gov or drop it off in person. The request should name the record you want as clearly as you can. A vague request may be denied or delayed. A good request states the person's name, the date of the arrest, and the type of document you need.
The city has seven business days to respond. They can grant the request, deny it with a reason, or ask for more time if the request is large. Common reasons for denial include that the record is part of an active criminal investigation, that it is sealed by court order, or that it falls under one of the law's exemptions. If your request is denied, you have the right to appeal to the Government Records Council.
Note: Paterson may charge a fee for copies; ask the clerk about current rates when you submit your request.
Passaic County Arrest Records
Paterson is the largest city in Passaic County, and all indictable criminal cases from the city go through the Passaic County Superior Court. The county system covers arrests from every municipality in Passaic County, not just Paterson. For more on the county-wide court system, sheriff's office, and other criminal record resources, visit the full Passaic County arrest records page.