New police chief marks an historical moment in Hamtramck

Jamiel Altaheri

By Charles Sercombe
The search for a new chief of police in Hamtramck didn’t take long.
The job had been posted for only 10 days, with a deadline of Jan. 19 to apply. In a special meeting on Monday Jan. 29, the city council and mayor approved hiring Jamiel Altaheri, who is currently a chief inspector in the New York Police Department.
Altaheri is a Yemeni-American who immigrated to this country when he was 4 years old. He was not present at Monday’s meeting.
His appointment, which is dependent upon him getting credentials from the state and also passing a background check, would mark a historical moment in Hamtramck. He will be the first Yemeni-American to serve as police chief, and he is also able to communicate in Arabic.
The city manager will negotiate a contract with Altaheri.
Traditionally, an officer from within the department is promoted to chief, although, for a brief time in the 1990s, a retired Wayne County Sheriff acted as chief with the title of Public Safety Director. That hiring was met with resistance from officers in the department at the time, and it was also a time of great political turmoil here in town.
Mayor Amer Ghalib said he expects this transition “will be smooth,” and he has the “confidence in our police department to work as a team.”
Ghalib added that Altaheri and his family plan to live in Hamtramck.
Councilmember Khalil Refai said that Altaheri “will bring in diversity.”
The other candidates for the job were long-time officers in the Hamtramck Police Department, Andrew Mileski and David Cornwell.
In addition to hiring Altaheri, Mileski will now fill a new position as deputy police chief, and will assume command until Altaheri can move here and take on the duties of the office.
Hamtramck Police Chief Anne Moise, who was the city’s first female appointed to the position, retired this week, on Jan. 31, after serving as chief for nine years.
Altaheri will not be able to take on the role as police chief until April or March.
Altaheri does have an impressive background.
According to the Center of Homeland Security, an organization that provides training and educational programs for those in leadership positions, “He earned a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resource Management from Seton Hall University; a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance, and a Certificate of Achievement in Accounting from Brooklyn College; a Graduate Certificate in Policing in a Multicultural City from John Jay College of Criminal Justice; a Certificate of Achievement in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia; and graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, in 2016, the first Muslim-American Police Executive to do so. He is currently a doctoral student at Liberty University.”
Altaheri told the Center of Homeland Security that he was inspired to become a police officer after 9/11, saying:
“I always saw myself as an American and I believe there is no conflict between that and being a Yemeni-American and a Muslim.”
“I wanted to protect my country and to lead a campaign to help face the challenges that Muslims face. My presence in the NYPD was needed at the time. Many felt they were being targeted for their race and religion. I’m not a big one to claim discrimination, but there were tough times and I had to approach [superiors] about it. I’m grateful to the NYPD.”
Posted Feb. 2, 2024