Dearborn Heights Arabic police patch decision sparks reactions from leaders
Dearborn Heights police patch with Arabic writing 'not official'
Residents in Dearborn Heights are familiar with the patch, which features "Dearborn Heights" at the top and Arabic underneath. It was posted on the Dearborn Heights Police Department Facebook page a few days ago, intended to "reflect and honor the diversity of our community."
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A controversy is brewing in Dearborn Heights over a police patch, with some supporting it and many loudly opposing it.
Big picture view:
Residents in Dearborn Heights are familiar with the patch, which features "Dearborn Heights" at the top and Arabic underneath. It was posted on the Dearborn Heights Police Department Facebook page a few days ago, intended to "reflect and honor the diversity of our community."
FOX 2 learned that the creator wanted it to be optional for Ramadan. The post quickly sparked reactions, with many finding it controversial. The comment section was disabled, and the post was taken down on Friday.
Mayor Bazzi of Dearborn Heights stated online that the patch was merely an idea and "should not have been presented as an official prototype." He emphasized that multiple police stakeholders should have been included in discussions.
"Should efforts like this be formally undertaken to make any changes to the Police uniform, it is our goal to include multiple PD stakeholders for a larger conversation, to ensure all are included in the discussion. As we are one PD, each individual’s uniform represents the DHPD as a whole, and therefore merits the review and input of all," Bazzi in the statement.
What they're saying:
FOX 2 spoke with Ahmed Ghanim, a Democrat running for Congress, who believes there are more pressing issues to focus on, regardless of political leanings.
"The first thing I heard about it, I think it’s a distraction because the people I meet every day, this is not the first thing they think about or talk about," said Ghanim. "People are thinking about rent, housing problems, groceries, and how they can send their kids to school. If you go to the comment section on social media, you’ll find a lot of debate, but in real life, people don’t care about that."
The Dearborn Heights Police Officers Association also released a statement on Friday:
"On 9/3/25, a well decorated senior officer of this police department approached Chief Haidar with a photo of an edited Dearborn Heights Police patch. The patch dictated the Dearborn Heights Police name, in Arabic writing, under the English version. The Officer’s original intent of designing this patch was to have a commemorative patch for Dearborn Heights Officers to wear during the month of Ramadan, in support of our Muslim community. The Officer’s well-intentioned idea was then unilaterally distributed, by Chief Haidar, to the news media. Instead of implementing the patch with the original intent of commemorating the month of Ramadan, Chief Haidar implemented the patch as an optional patch for everyone in the department to wear year-round. This action made many of our officers feel segregated within the police department. The DHPOA executive board addressed these concerns with Chief Haidar, along with the potential negative repercussions it may bring upon the department. Those same concerns were immediately dismissed and refuted by Chief Haidar. Since the reckless media release by Chief Haidar, there have been countless threats and criticisms made to not only the senior officer, but to the entire police department as a whole."
The backstory:
In the original Facebook post, the department provided background that the patch was designed by an officer to ‘reflect and honor the diversity of our community’.
"We are proud of Officer Murdoch's creativity and dedication in helping our department better represent the people we serve," the department wrote on Facebook. "Our officers proudly serve all members of our community, and this new design is another way we continue to celebrate the rich cultures that make our city unique."
The Dearborn Heights Police Officer Association also released a statement, saying the chief posted it online with the intention of it being optional year-round, which made some officers feel segregated.
The Source: Dearborn Heights Police posted the statement on Facebook on Friday.
Featured
Dearborn Heights removes Arabic police patch: ‘not official’, mayor says
Dearborn Heights Police have removed the Arabic script from a police patch, originally released earlier this week. The mayor says the script was only an idea.