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Joanna: tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," check your delivery status.

Your Amazon holiday packages may be delayed, as thousands of workers hit the streets to strike.

Reaction to the court handing the Patterson police department back to the city after estate takeover.

>> Confusion is the biggest feeling right now.

We're just trying to figure out what is going on.

Joanna: Also, drone drama.

Amidst a looming government shutdown, are Washington, D.C., correspondent breaks it all down.

>> They often find an 11th-hour way to get out of it so there's a chance we won't have a shutdown, with a chance clearly increase yesterday.

Joanna: And advocates urge the state to expand mental health services for the homeless population, as their numbers continue to rise.

>> If you don't reach somebody when they immediately need those mental health services, having gone through the trauma of homelessness, they make it worse in their situation.

Joanna: "NJ Spotlight News" starts right now.

♪ >> from NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Briana Vannozzi.

Joanna: Hello, and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

We begin with a few top headlines.

All you last-minute holiday shoppers may want to think twice before ordering late gifts from Amazon.

7000 Amazon workers kicked off the largest strike in the company's history.

The strike was organized by the Teamsters union, who represents truck and delivery drivers.

They accuse the con Benny of -- company of putting profits over people, pointing to Amazon's 39.2 billion dollars net income for the first humans of twins, 2024 double it --first two months of 2024, double its 2023 income.

Amazon is assuring the public that the Teamsters like won't impact their package deliveries, even though the Teamsters say 7000 of their workers have walked off the job in select locations across the country.

Those include Queens, New York, California, Illinois, and Atlanta.

Those 7000 workers only make up about 1% of Amazon's workforce in America.

Here in New Jersey, there are 19 fulfillment centers and 20 delivery centers.

Workers there have not joined the picket lines, and it's not clear yet when they plan to.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small has been indicted for a second time in the case of alleged child abuse against his teenage daughter.

This charge accuses small of witness tampering after he allegedly told his daughter to lie to police during the investigation of the case.

The original allegations accused the mayor and his wife, La'Quetta, Atlantic city's superintendent of schools, of endangering the welfare of a child by repeatedly abusing and assaulting their teenage daughter, hitting her in the head with a broom, and knocking her unconscious.

This new charge alleges that Small pulled his daughter to "twist up the story" of how she suffered head injuries in January, telling her to blame it on the fall in her bedroom.

According to the charges, their daughter was punched in the face and body, thrown down the stairs, and dragged by her hair, among a number of other abuses.

The Atlantic city prosecutor's office announced this latest indictment yesterday while Mayor Small was delivering his end-of-year press conference highlighting achievements in the city.

CAIR, the Council on American Islamic relations, has follow lawsuit against the U.S. State Department, saying it failed to evacuate American citizens and legal American residents and their families from Gaza during Isr bombardment -- Israeli bombardments.

It is France have nine individuals try to escape the region but were ignored by the federal government.

CAIR says this is a violation of the Fifth Amendment rights of equal protection under the law lawsuit dismisses the State Department's expedition that the Rafah closing is to blame, saying there are other extraction points that could have been used in Americans in other war-torn countries under similar circumstances have been rescued.

They are urging department officials to act immediately to bring these American residents home safely.

Uncertainty and confusion abound in Patterson, where the appellate court ruled that the Attorney General illegally took control over the Patterson police department in 2023.

That control came after several deadly police shootings and dozens of criminal charges against officers.

Attorney General Matt Platkin said it created a crisis of confidence in the city police force.

But the courts have sided with Mayor Andre Sayegh, who suited to regain control.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan spoke to residents, lawmakers, and others reeling from the groundbreaking decision.

>> Confusion is the biggest feeling right now.

We are trying to figure out what is going on.

Brenda: This activists says shock waves rocked Patterson with residents wondering who will be running the police department after a state court dropped a bombshell ruling.

The judges decided New Jersey's Attorney General illegally took over Paterson's trouble police two years ago, ruling the AG does not have the legislative authority to supersede municipal Police Department's without their consent.

The court ordered control should revert to the original police chief and City Hall.

The AG appealed within hours.

>> I really don't want to see us backtracking.

I want to see us be able to continue to move forward and build on the relationship that has been established.

>> community police throughout every ward that has been very visible, and safety measures have been put in place in our main quarter such as Broadway that I have never seen in my lifetime, and I am a lifetime Paterson resident.

Brenda: Locals who back the takeovers say it has dropped Paterson's crime rate and resort community trust, especially after outrage over the police shooting of a resident suffering a mental health crisis.

AG Matt Platkin stated "we remain deeply committed to Paterson and the crucial work of making the city safer for all its people including as this wrongful decision is appealed."

>> The Attorney General's office stepping in was a step in the right direction.

It was accountability, a recognition that this Police Department, the city was not fixing the issues that existed for years.

Without those issues being fixed, you are never going to have a productive relationship.

You just aren't.

Brenda: For now, everything is on hold while the Attorney General's office asks the Supreme Court to hear an appeal.

They born justice's takeover reversal "risks chaos in the chain of command for the Police Department imminently."

As to who leads the department, while fragile police reforms remain underway, which will undermine the public safety for all residents.

>> It doesn't create confusion.

This is what is needed, collaboration.

That is what we needed to begin with.

No one should usurp an elected official's authority, especially under false pretenses.

Brenda: Mayor Andre Sayegh, who along with the chief of police filed a lawsuit challenging Platkin's takeover, said crime rates started dropping before then.

He adds the AG got an extra $20 million in state aid for policing Paterson and he wants that to continue.

Mayor Sayegh: The court has said the takeover was not needed, but resources are needed.

So if they are sincere, meaning the Attorney General, he's not going to turn the spigot off.

He's going to say, look, I really want Paterson to succeed.

Brenda: The mayor applauds Platkin's recent decision to appoint veteran police Captain Pat Murray as the new officer in charge.

Under the ruling, the state will retain control of the internal affairs unit, which had rarely disciplined officers.

>> No one worked to actually fix the problem at its core.

And when the state stepped in, when the AG stepped in, instead of cooperating, they sued.

Everyone should be asking what are you going to do now.

Brenda: It is almost like the city is holding its breath.

What happens next is up to Jersey's high court.

I am Brenda Flanagan, "NJ Spotlight News."

Joanna: In response to the recent concern around drone activity in New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned drone flights over 22 communities that span the entire state, including three of the states largest cities, Camden, Jersey City, and Elizabeth.

The ban will be in place for one month, and according to the FAA, it was requested by federal security partners to prevent flights over critical infrastructure, including the Trump golf resort in Bedminster.

Meanwhile, the FAA is warning that the panic over alleged drone settings has coincided with a surge in powerful lasers being pointed at aircraft, which is illegal and potentially dangerous.

Laser incidents in New Jersey have increased 269% so far in December, compared to the same time period last year, according to the FAA.

Washington, D.C., correspondent Ben Hulac has been following all of this drone issue, and he has more on how lawmakers from New Jersey are responding along with all the latest from the nation's capital.

Ben, great to see you.

No shortage of news to talk about this week.

When we look at the drone situation, we hear from countless lawmakers in D.C. from New Jersey calling on the federal government to take action.

We spoke to Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who told us about his radar act that he introduced.

We know that New York Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

What can you tell us about what they are calling for?

Is there any thread or tie that binds here?

Benjamin: Those bills in particular, unless therefore the -- unless they are folded into year-end spending package, they have no shot of passing.

They have not been vetted or voted on and a serious way.

I would point out there is a bipartisan bill that could become law this Congress.

There is a week-plus left in the year, so it has to act fast -- Congress would have to act fast, rather.

That would give federal authorities including the Department of Homeland Security more power to regulate drones.

In general it is a cat and mouse game with the industry and the government, and industry is a bit farther ahead than the government in regulating drones.

I would underscore there are a lot of recreational drone users out there who likely don't know that they have to register their drones with the FAA.

Also just experts I've spoken with say the vast preponderance of things in the sky are likely safely operated aircraft.

Joanna: That's what we are hearing, even as the FAA did put in those restrictions over certain areas, in particular over New Jersey.

But we are hearing that unified call that this is very likely commercial, along with other drones that are allowed to be in the sky.

What if we could switch gears completely, as of midday yesterday it looked like there was bipartisan agreement on a spending bill that could pass, and by this morning it is all done, it's a done deal.

Can you tell us what happened and why Republicans are opposed to this bipartisan deal?

Benjamin: Right, a lot can change in a day on Capitol Hill.

You're right, the gist yesterday was there was a deal Republicans and Democrats in both chambers had reached to keep the government funded through mid March of next year.

At the 11th hour, the incoming administration, Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, plus Elon Musk, their advisor, threw this curveball and said we want to lift the debt ceiling as part of this end-of-year spending deal.

That is a separate element, really a separate topic from spending.

Just to put in context for viewers, the debt ceiling is the amount -- is not actually the debt the U.S. is issuing.

It is -- lifting the debt ceiling allows the federal government to pay its bills.

Joanna: The amount it can borrow to pay its bills.

Benjamin: That's right.

Congress sets that ceiling on how much money the government can borrow, and that ceiling will hit basically when the new Congress comes back in January.

Right now it is really a shambles.

And this has thrown months of work from both parties really into the trash, and I would put it this way, Joanna, there is -- in general reporters get little updated memos from the majority whip's office, the person who sets the agenda for the house every day.

The agenda for today was TBD.

It's all hazy.

Joanna: That's about where we are with our government right now, and knowing there is going to be a shutdown.

TBD.

We know the deadline is midnight tomorrow, going into Saturday.

Very quickly, what happens if there is a government shutdown?

Benjamin: I would make two quick points.

One is that off these corners that Congress backs itself into on spending, they often find 11th-hour way to get out of them, so it is possible there is no shutdown.

But the chance of a shutdown clearly increased yesterday.

If there is a shutdown, good rule of thumb to understand a shutdown is things protecting people and property would not be affected, so that means TSA would keep running.

But non-essential services would be closed.

And federal workers would not be paid for the work they are doing.

Joanna: Washington, D.C., correspondent, it is all TBD, as you said.

Thank you so much.

New Jersey under the Murphy administration has taken several steps to reduce the prison population, and while we are seeing historically low crime rates and a shrinking of the number of people behind bars, there is one population that has increased in our jails, and that is senior citizens.

Some say they deserve a second look.

Raven Santana has more on policy recommendation prison reform advocates are calling for.

>> We pride ourselves as a state on second chances.

We are the leader in criminal justice reform.

Yet our elders are right now behind bars dying.

And it doesn't have to be that way.

Raven: Reverend Russell Owen spent 32 years in New Jersey's prison system.

He has devoted his life to helping those who have been harmed by the criminal justice system.

He says during his incarceration, he gained a new perspective on the growing number of senior citizens behind bars who no longer pose a risk but who he watched died serving their sentence.

>> People who have been found guilty and they are running for office now, all types of different positions in power because there was forgiveness for them, but why not for everyone?

These men that I've held in my arms, Trenton state prison, I made them my family because it's not right for people to die alone.

Raven: Owen was one of a panel of speakers including a senator who championed the stalled rehabilitative release bill, which would reduce the prison population by ending mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and giving elderly, long-incarcerated people a path to release.

>> It cost taxpayers $2 million a year per person, per placement, excluding overtime for correctional officers to guard those folks that need additional care, the elderly in our prison, the least likely to recidivate.

And we are allowing them to languish.

Raven: The New Jersey criminal sentencing and disposition commission sent a letter to Governor Phil Murphy and legislative leaders Wednesday with 4 recommendations its 13 members unanimously agreed on, recommending permitting judges to reduce or waive fines for defendants who cannot afford them, allowing judges to consider abuse endured by offenders as a mitigating factor, particularly interesting -- in domestic violence cases, when weighing sentencing, providing individuals over 60 an opportunity to apply for a reduced sentence after serving long terms if they pose no threat to society and are ready for reentry, and abolishing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

>> This legislation would require these individuals to go before a court, to explain their rehabilitation, to really fully allow the court to see that individual, determine whether they have been rehabilitated, and make the decision about whether or not to release them.

Raven: 71-year-old Lee Holmes served 50 years in prison for murder and armed robbery.

Before being released, he described feeling like someone locked him up and threw away the key forever.

Do you feel that elderly prisoners are somewhat forgotten people?

>> Yes.

Forgotten, forgotten -- they've been forgotten.

But like I said, when I was leaving, there was a guy there, he was 83, and he was blind, going blind, hearing gone.

He died.

You know, he died.

And there's others that's dead.

They've done the time already.

>> Imagine, you put a loved one in a nursing home and you just put them there, nobody goes to visit, nobody really cares about them.

People are in walkers.

I ask myself, when I was in prison, what is this person doing in prison?

They pose no threat, they can't harm a fly.

They barely have enough strength to stand up.

Raven: The bill is awaiting a hearing in the Judiciary Committee of both houses.

For "NJ Spotlight News," I'm Raven Santana.

Joanna: Homelessness is on the rise in New Jersey.

The last point in time count, which attempts to count all individuals without housing on a single day, found a 24% increase in the last year of those with no place to call home.

But another alarming statistic is rising, and that is the mental and emotional health needs of those struggling with housing challenges.

Mental health writer Bobby Brier recently attended a hearing in Princeton, where housing advocates called on the state to increase the mental health services available for the homeless population, especially kids, who can experience trauma and long-lasting impacts from homelessness.

Bobby is here to talk more about it.

So great to have you in studio here.

We know that the point in time count found 12,600 people homeless on one day.

We know that is not the full picture, but it is an alarming increase.

What are advocates calling for to serve the mental health needs of this group?

Bobby: With that in mind, they pointed to two different reports they had conducted, one which looked at children's mental health services in shelters, the other looking at adult mental health services in shelters.

Both found there needs to be more efficient and effective mental health services provided to both of those populations, really in a more immediate and timely fashion, so that people entering the shelters either on the night of or the next day get those services they need immediately rather than waiting.

Advocates have said that services delayed are services denied.

Essentially what they mean by that is if you don't reach somebody when they immediately need those mental health services, having gone through the trauma of homelessness, they may get worse in their situation.

Joanna: Did they talk about what that should actually look like?

We know if you are struggling with homelessness, you are struggling with transportation issues.

Is that someone coming to a shelter, for instance, a provider coming to a shelter?

Bobby: It is.

That is one of the main points advocates have stressed through these reports.

They say there needs to be more on-site, in-person behavioral health clinicians around the clock at a lot of shelters throughout the state to address the mental health needs of both adults and children.

The state had said that while they did acknowledge the report and they cannot comment on specific policy from the coalition, they have said they support the coalition's effort to grow the statewide system, and they are happy to collaborate and work with them alongside this.

Joanna: I think folks don't always understand what homelessness looks like.

We think of someone on the street, but it can be families who go to work, it can be kids who go to school.

When we think about people trying to carry on a normal day-to-day life but having no home to go home to, what impact can that have on a person?

Bobby: It has a lot of impacts.

The ripple effect on a person's life -- for children, a lot of advocates have pointed to adverse childhood experiences.

A lot of this is trauma that occurs in childhood before the age of 18 that can look like the trauma from experiencing homelessness, the lack of housing stability, the lack of food security, as well as a number of other factors.

If that happens, a child is adversely affected through the rest of their life unless they get some real mental health support before they turn 18.

Those are some of the issues that are looked at for children.

Adults are also in a similar position, but the second report highlighted by the advocates talked about the need for in person, on-site behavioral health clinicians for adults as well, and that is something we don't see as much highlighted through the state.

Joanna: You can't imagine what it must feel like as a parent trying to hold the family together and not having a place for your kids to go and feel safe.

The state did create the office of resilience.

It was really in this vein, looking at ACSs.

Can you talk about that?

Bobby: They created this program to look at those adverse childhood experiences to study the trauma of and address the trauma that a lot of children have gone through.

To their credit and to the advocates of this report's credit, they addressed that head on.

Both the advocates and the state have said there is always more work that can be done, one of which is the more immediate access to these mental health services.

Joanna: Did they get into what they want that to look like?

What are the next steps?

How do you coordinate this care?

Bobby: What they've said is they want more collaboration, even though it has happened in the past, more collaboration between the state and the shelter staff in order to provide more immediate on-site mental health services.

They also want the state mental health providers to be able to accept Medicaid patients or more Medicaid patients and to treat children under the age of five.

They also recommended looking at other states -- New York, California, Florida, Massachusetts -- that have these collaborations in place as a model for New Jersey.

Joanna: Terrific reporting, Bobby.

Thank you for bringing this issue to light, which so many of us don't fully understand.

You can catch more of Bobby's reporting on this issue on our website, njspotlightnews.org.

Bobby, great to see you.

Bobby: thank you, Joanna.

Joanna: That's going to do it for us tonight.

Before you go, a reminder to download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcast.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team at "NJ Spotlight News," thanks for being with us, have a great night, and we will see you tomorrow.

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