22-05-2025
Hamtramck police chief and officer placed on leave as investigation opens
Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri and an officer have been placed on administrative leave as an investigation opens into alleged improprieties.
Altaheri, 42, has been the chief of the department for about a year after the city council selected him in January 2024. He and officer David Adamczyk, hired in September 2024, are now on administrative leave, Hamtramck city manager Max Garbarino told the Free Press.
"I can confirm that the chief of police and officer have been placed upon administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation," Garbarino said Wednesday, May 21.
The city has opened an investigation into Altaheri and it has "also been sent to outside law enforcement," Garbarino said.
Garbarino did not comment further on the investigation, saying it's the city's policy "not to comment on personnel matters."
A memo from a city employee has been circulating among some officials alleging Altaheri acted improperly in several instances that may have broken the law. The memo's claims could not be immediately verified. Part of the memo mentions allegations that President Donald Trump's visit to Hamtramck in October was facilitated by a former Wayne County reserve officer who was trying to help get a presidential pardon for a wealthy acquaintance of the chief in New York City convicted of financial crimes. Before becoming the Hamtramck police chief, Altaheri was a leader in New York City's police department, the commanding officer of NYPD's Office of Equity and Inclusion.
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Altaheri did not return a message seeking comment. Adamczyk could not be reached. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib told the Free Press in a statement that Altaheri believes that the city placing him on leave is "a retaliatory action by the city manager for disciplining one of the police officers who is a close friend of the city manager."
"I and the city council members were not informed of the city manager's decision prior to taking it," Ghalib said. "Police Chief (Altaheri) described it as a retaliatory action by the city manager for disciplining one of the police officers who is a close friend of the city manager. City manager (Garbarino) said there are some allegation against the Chief reported by that police officer, that need to be investigated, which the police Chief denies."
Ghalib added that "the city council will hold an emergency meeting soon to take some corrective actions and to address the issue."
Ghalib was picked by Trump in March to be ambassador to Kuwait. Trump and the Republican Party did extensive outreach in Hamtramck and Dearborn last year during the presidential campaign, gaining support among Arab American voters. Ghalib was in Washington D.C. a few weeks go taking part in training for future ambassadors; he has to be confirmed by the Senate to become ambassador.
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Lt. Michael Shaw, the spokesman for Michigan State Police in metro Detroit, said that state police "don't have any investigations involving the Hamtramck Police Department." The FBI Detroit office could not be reached for comment.
The investigation into Altaheri is the latest controversy in Hamtramck. Michigan State Police said earlier this month it has launched an investigation into the residencies of two city councilmen. The councilmen strongly deny the allegations. Some councilmen are also under investigation for alleged absentee ballot voter fraud.
Ghalib said last year that Altaheri was picked because "we believed that he would be a great addition to our city, taking into consideration that he understands the culture of the community and he is bilingual (in English and Arabic), which would help improve communication with the community and build more trust."
Hamtramck has the highest percentage of immigrants among cities in Michigan.
Since becoming chief, Altaheri has done extensive outreach to the city's growing Yemeni American and Bangladeshi American communities, who have previously felt excluded from city government. He started the city's first citizens' police academy, which helped educate residents about how the police department operates and trains.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@ or X @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri placed on administrative leave
