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
5 Responses to Former police chief and city agree on separation
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John
October 19, 2025 at 3:00 am
Sad to see him go. He did so much in such little time. Transformed the police department- gave it a big city feel. Best of luck – maybe he can come back if he officially resigned now ?!
Danny
October 20, 2025 at 11:48 pm
Chief Jamiel Altaheri and City Manager Max Garbarino were a good team together – something just doesn’t add up with all these accusations and City Council members charged with election fraud – since Trump came to Hamtramck – it seems like a witch hunt started. Good luck Hamtramck !
Abdul
November 3, 2025 at 3:39 am
Sad to see Chief Jamiel Altaheri go. I don’t believe a retired NYPD inspector after 20 years with clean record came to Hamtramck for just one year and receive these allegations from white officers. I read a report he heard black officers and woman and made great changes and developments to police department. If someone should be fired – it should be those behind these investigations.
Carol
November 5, 2025 at 4:33 am
Jamiel Altaheri is the Best Chief Ever his friend – New Mayor – Adam Alharbi and new council need to bring him back. Hamtramck deserves better.
Jamiel Altaheri
November 6, 2025 at 8:04 pm
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who reached out with love in support after learning about my resignation and departure. I couldn’t respond to you all, but it truly means the world to me and my family. Hamtramck will forever be my home, and I’m eternally grateful for the time I spent here, inspiring growth and unity.
As a retired NYPD police executive, I didn’t come to Hamtramck for a paycheck or lawsuit; I came here to give back, to help strengthen the Hamtramck Police Department, and serve this incredible city to the best of my abilities. I’m not going to waste time addressing the false accusations or those who took my words and actions out of context for their own personal agendas. I chose to face them head-on, refusing to be intimidated or used as a pawn for their personal agendas.
What I’ll always be proud of are the groundbreaking initiatives we built together – introducing the first Youth Academy and Citizens Academy, implementing CompStat, starting the Internal Affairs program, bringing in drone technology, promoting diversity and inclusion, and most symbolically, updating the Hamtramck Police Department patch to better represent both the department and our city. There’s more I could mention, but this isn’t about me – it’s about the experience I had with the community.
I wish the city and its residents all the best — including my critics and those who chose to believe the fairytales about me. My commitment and professionalism are demonstrated through my actions and contributions, not the whispers of those who thrive on creating chaos and division for political and personal gain.
Don’t forget to get out and vote – and keep moving Hamtramck forward, inspiring a brighter future for all.
Thank You 🙏
#ChiefAltaheri #JamielAltaheri #hamtramckpd