Making history in Virginia, Lt. Wahid Alam has been selected as the first-ever liaison officer for the local Muslim community at the Fairfax County Police Department.
“I want to be the conduit to all the resources the police department has to offer and encourage Muslims to consider a career in policing,” he told Fairfax County Local News in a statement.
Born and raised Muslim, Alam has served in the department for more than 18 years. He considers his faith and background in policing as a tool that makes him a good fit for this role.
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He also hopes to meet with Muslim faith and business leaders to “networking within this unique community and build even more inroads with the department.”
Praising Muslim community’s support for law enforcement, Alam hopes to clear misconceptions about community surveillance.
“The Muslim community needs to know how the Fairfax County Police Department conducts policing and surveillance in response to crime and dangerous threats,” he said.
“FCPD does not conduct targeted surveillance to Muslims or any specific community. Building relationships and being transparent in our policing strategies and practices will build trust with the Muslim community.”
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Other American Muslims have also taken charge of a commanding position in the police force.
In April 2021, Pakistani-American commander Yasar Bashir was appointed as first Muslim assistant chief of police in the United States.
In July 2020, New York local precinct appointed Captain Adeel Rana as its commander.
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