Latest news with #OfficeofEquityandInclusion
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. More: Michigan State Police start investigation into two Hamtramck councilmen over residency 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. More: Nessel asks for special prosecutor in Hamtramck voter case due to anti-Muslim bias claims 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
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leaders to consider Guaranteed Income program for some families in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – For the first time ever, Albuquerque could be offering cash to low-income families. To start, the initiative would benefit those in the international district and southwest Albuquerque. The city could be following other cities across the country in providing 'guaranteed income' to low-income families and the funding would come from cannabis tax revenue. Story continues below Local: Bryan Cranston makes surprise visit to Albuquerque 'Breaking Bad' store Crime: 12 horses at All American Futurity had illicit drug in their system DWI Scandal: Prominent ABQ attorney admits to running 'DWI Enterprise' scandal 'The cannabis tax has some legislation associated with it that indicates those fines need to be used to support populations that were impacted by the criminalization of marijuana and so since that was the purpose for the funds this aligns really well,' said Sonya Lara, Director of Equity and Inclusion. The guaranteed income program would be run by the City's Office of Equity and Inclusion partnering with Albuquerque Public Schools. They would focus on children and their families at Whittier Elementary School in the International District and Carlos Rey Elementary School in the southwest area. Director Sonya Lara said those Title One schools were selected because they have the lowest academic outcomes and high absenteeism, and the goal is to boost student performance. 'This is about the average person getting what they need. This is not a handout, this a hand up and that is the difference here. There's research upon research about this working,' said Nichole Rogers, Albuquerque city councilor. If city council passes the resolution allowing the cannabis tax to fund this program, it would support around 140 households for three years providing them with $750 a month. The Office of Equity and Inclusion said they are also ironing out the details of also offering the program to kids in the foster care system transitioning into adulthood. The funding proposal is expected to be heard in council in a couple of weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
