Former police chief and city agree on separation

Former Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri

By Charles Sercombe
Former Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri and the city have officially parted ways.
At Tuesday’s regular city council meeting, a separation agreement was reached with Altaheri that will give him five months’ worth of salary and allow him to say he’s resigning.
That payout amounts to about $50,000.
The former chief, in turn, agreed to drop his lawsuit against the city.
The city council agreed to the settlement without comment at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The Review asked Altaheri for comment, and he took issue with past reporting by this paper that said he was “officially fired” – insisting he had resigned.
After the city council fired City Manager Max Garbarino, the council then directed the interim city manager to take steps to “terminate” both Altaheri and police officer Dave Adamczyk.
After that council resolution, the city and Altaheri entered into negotiations for a “separation agreement” that termed his departure a resignation.
Altaheri had served in Hamtramck for about a year before he had a falling out with the city manager.
The chief’s downfall came after an internal investigation alleged several wrongdoings – including some that have reportedly caught the attention of the FBI, although it cannot be confirmed yet whether he is under investigation.
According to an internal investigation conducted by the law firm Miller Johnson, a number of accusations were looked into, including: driving a city vehicle after consuming alcohol; and reducing another officer’s discipline in exchange for the destruction of evidence damaging to the chief, among other allegations.
Altaheri denies these allegations, and told The Review that the investigation is a “hoax.”
Altaheri’s fall coincided with the firing of City Manager Garbarino and police officer Adamczyk, all of whom were part of the internal investigation that included Altaheri.
Both Garbarino and Adamczyk still have ongoing lawsuits against the city, city council and mayor. Both were offered the same deal as Altaheri, but both rejected it.
Altaheri came to Hamtramck after retiring from the New York City Police Department. He was the first Yemeni-American to be appointed as chief, and also one of the few outsiders hired as police chief.
Altaheri was sworn into office in an outside ceremony, held across from city hall in Zussman Park on May 13, 2024.
The day was sunny and the event was festive, with many Yemeni-Americans from both Hamtramck and Dearborn attending the ceremony, where Altaheri was given a rock-star welcome.
In the year-plus that he served, Altaheri initiated a number of community outreach programs, earning him widespread praise.
The police department is now being supervised by Deputy Police Chief Andy Mileski.
There has been no word on whether a new chief will be hired, or whether Mileski will remain in the post permanently.
Posted Oct. 17, 2025