Englebert Ribeiro sworn in as Paterson, New Jersey's first Latino police chief
PATERSON, N.J. -- Englebert Ribeiro made history Friday when he was sworn in as Paterson, New Jersey's first Latino police chief.
Ribeiro, affectionately known as "Bert" to the rank and file, has been with the force for 27 years. He started on the patrol division in 1996 and worked his way up to detective lieutenant, then captain.
His parents, who grew up in Brazil, were in attendance.
"Very proud of my son," said Jenny Ribeiro.
"From the beginning of his career, he said he was going to be a cop," said Vincent Ribeiro.
Ribeiro emphasized Paterson's diversity and working with the community to curb violence, especially in the wake of a state trooper being shot and wounded in the city.
"First thought is it could've been me, because we all do the same type of job. Then, it could be someone from our department," said Ribeiro.
He said gun violence is his biggest challenge.
"Gun violence is just the amount of guns that are on the street. Twenty-seven years ago when I came on the job, it was rare that you came across anybody with a firearm. Now it's so rampant. Anybody you run into that's committed some type of crime has a gun on them," said Ribeiro.
"The chief emphasizes the importance of community policing. That relationship between police and the public needs to be restored and repaired," said Mayor Andre Sayegh.
Ribeiro and Sayegh said the priority is to bring more officers onto the force to keep residents safe.
