Another historic day in Hamtramck and its police department

Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck’s new police chief got a rock star’s welcome to the community.
On Monday, a swearing-in ceremony was held for the city’s first Yemen-American police chief, Jamiel Altaheri.
Altaheri, who was greeted with hugs and kissing on the cheek from many in attendance, was sworn in along with two new officers, Jameria Clark and Eida Hussain.
It was a historic moment in a number of ways. Besides Altaheri being the first Yemeni-American, Clark and Hussain now bring the total number of female officers in the department up to six.
In the past, there might have been just one woman on the force – at most.
Former Police Chief Anne Moise, who retired a few months ago, was the department’s first female police chief.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in Zussman Park under sunny skies and amid a summery 80s degrees. A number of those attending, out of a crowd numbering about 100, or more, came from out of state to witness the moment.
Altaheri is newly retired from the New York Police Department, where he served for 20 years, the last several in the role of chief inspector.
Mayor Amer Ghalib, who also happens to be the city’s first Yemeni-American to serve as mayor, said the hiring of Altaheri and the two new officers is continuing a trend of diversifying the police department and the employees who work in city hall.
Altaheri’s hiring, as well as those of the two female officers, Ghalib said “confirms our mission to diversify city hall and the police department has been accomplished, and a promise has been fulfilled.”
As for the perception of some in the community “that the police is the enemy of the community; we want to correct that … and prove the police department is here to ensure your safety – not to punish you but to protect you.”
Ghalib continued: “No one should feel unsafe in Hamtramck, and no one should feel inferior, and no one should feel entitlement to preferential treatment or superiority in our community. Everybody is equal under the law, and we are here to serve everyone equally.”
The mayor closed his remarks on a lighter note, saying: “I want to take this opportunity to invite you all to my next inauguration in 2026.”
After being sworn in, Altaheri said a few words, calling the day “a beautiful time to get sworn in with two amazing female officers … two proud women here serving Hamtramck.”
Coming from a city like New York to Hamtramck, he said offers him a new opportunity.
“I’m really excited to serve this community – this diverse community. … I’m here to serve everyone,” he said.
Altaheri then introduced Diana Higgenbottom who had traveled from Wisconsin to be there. She recounted a story about how Altaheri went out of his way to “steamroll” a path for her and her husband in 2015 when they were in Times Square on New Year’s Eve to witness the dropping of the famed ball.
She and her husband, who was sick with cancer, traveled to New York City, as part of her husband’s “bucket list” wish before he died, to witness the event. Without knowing Altaheri, she turned to Altaheri, who was on duty, for help and he obliged.
“I was left in awe of the goodness and kindness of somebody in that moment when he didn’t have to (be),” she said. “He (Altaheri) went above and beyond to shower us with kindness.”
Posted May 17, 2024