A handful of progressive advocacy groups are jumping into the fray over the Paterson police takeover.

Filing an amicus brief in support of the attorney general after a state appellate court ruled in December, the attorney General's office illegally took over the troubled law enforcement department almost two years ago.

The state immediately appealed and new Jersey Supreme Court agreed to temporarily pause the decision.

Now a senior correspondent, Brenda Flanagan, reports the fight appears to be centered around Home Rule and political power.

It's about the people of Paterson, the black and brown communities here who've been just subject to long standing police misconduct and brutality, advocates say.

That's why they're asking new Jersey Supreme Court to uphold the state takeover of Paterson's police department almost two years ago.

Jersey's attorney general took charge of the troubled force, appointing new leadership, inviting community participation and rolling out reforms and all battles with the Institute for Social Justice.

These people need accountability.

That's what it comes down to, the need for accountability so that they can have a government, a police department that they can trust.

And they do not have that right now.

The reality is, there were a lot of issues in this police department going back years that culminated with the killing of Nigel Brooks.

And that's what set this whole thing off.

Seabrook was shot and killed by Paterson police after they were called to his apartment, where he was suffering a mental health crisis.

Justice for Murphy his death sparked demands for justice.

And that same month, Attorney General Matt Platkin took over the department.

The mayor and displaced police chief sued, claiming Platkin lacked the legal authority to supersede the city.

But it's really a fight for political power, says one local activist.

To me, it's really not the police department, it's the mayor's office, and it's really about control.

You know, the end goal is not to maintain permanent control of the department.

It is to bring the department to where it needs to be.

And that's what's going on right now.

Change is difficult.

Change is not easy.

Change can be uncomfortable.

But this particular process was needed.

There's no law that says the attorney general has the authority to do what he did.

As a matter of fact, it ultimately comes down to people placing their trust in the mayor.

Mayor Andre Silva argues an appellate court panel agreed with him and his former police chief, ordering the AG out and hitting a reset button.

But New Jersey's Supreme Court ordered a temporary stay.

So now both sides are prepping for battle.

I was elected by a large margin by the people of Paterson.

And quite frankly, I tell folks in this city, I may not look like you, but I always look out for you and I'm looking out for them every day.

They know who their mayor is.

They don't know who the attorney general is.

They know where to find me.

They put their faith in me.

So it's not fair that someone would exceed his authority and encroach upon my duty.

Say, it says it's a matter of home rule.

Long regarded as a baseline belief in new Jersey.

The League of Municipalities filed briefs to support Paterson.

Among the opponents, Jersey's ACLU is asking the state Supreme Court to hear their side of the story.

The attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of new Jersey.

And a state takeover is in his legal toolbox, the advocates argue in their combined brief.

They note plaintiffs stretch home rule, but that poses a much greater danger to civil liberties and civil rights, which are central to the advocates missions.

We cannot wait for bad acting police departments to invite the attorney general for accountability.

What we know right now is that local police departments cannot police themselves.

So what we need is somebody who's been given the authority by the legislature, such as the attorney general, to take over police departments to be able to do so.

And he says while the federal government has sometimes stepped in to address police department deficiencies in cities like Newark and Trenton, the incoming administration has disavowed such tactics.

For now, everything's on hold while the legal process plays out.

Litigants have until tomorrow, January 14th, to file paperwork in the case.

In Paterson, I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.