Make sure that you read this top to bottom before I have to explain again and make a fool out of someone
Non-generic events. So instead of having something like CEMs making events, staff team could be like the game managers. So they would take a random civilian or a criminal and give them the offer to be "famous", you could make semi-RP parties and concerts and then both sides would be down to something. Criminals could either be trying to ruin it or sell stuff during it and the police would be responsible to make sure that everything goes safely and smoothly. Seen it happen on MTA before, pretty cool.
It could literally be anything from roadworks to an earthquake, but that is what knocks the players out of their cycle of just grinding for something. Of course, the new criminal and law systems would change and affect that but it wouldn't be enough. We need something less generic here, that would get their attention and would motivate them to keep playing knowing that there is something different about to happen.
Talking about this, we could add an "Online" category on the forums where we have news, facebook type of thing where these things get announced and people would have the chance to participate.