The New York Police Department (NYPD) is actively recruiting Muslim officers and is asking for help within the community to better refine outreach.
According to the NYPD Muslim Officers Society, at present, there are about 800 Muslim uniformed police officers out of about 35,000. Of those, about 20 are higher-ranked officials.
“There has been a slow increase over the past decade, but it has been rapidly changing in the past year and a half,” said Lt. Adeel Rana, Commanding Officer of the Community Affairs Immigration outreach unit.
“It’s changing every day; we are getting more and more recruits,” he said. “As they see people of their own religion in uniform, their eyes brighten.”
According to Police Commissioner William Bratton, the NYPD has worked hard to recapture trust among Muslims and his department “will not do anything to jeopardize that trust.”
In order to expand a cadet program and to reach out to more recruits, college students are given stipends and fast-tracked to a job.
Leaders from the Muslim community said they are encouraged by recruitment efforts.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, “The more Muslims who work in the NYPD, the better,” and added “This is a way to break down the mistrust and create bridges in the community. Where an informant breaks down trust, a law enforcement officer builds it.”