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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."
(FOX 2) - The chief of police in Dearborn Heights took responsibility after an errant post on the department's social media announcing a new patch with Arabic writing was published.
But chief Ahmed Haidar also argued the response to the patch, including verbal attacks online towards officers, was wrong.
The latest:
A week after an announcement about a patch by Dearborn Heights police caused a stir on social media before the city backtracked on the idea, the department's chief clarified the patch was reflecting "diversity" within the city and to "demonstrate inclusiveness."
"It was never about religion, ideology, or division," read a message from chief Haidar.
Had the patch been approved it would have been optional, "just like other commemorative patches," the chief clarified.
The patch's design was rolled out prematurely and was not official policy, a decision he says he took responsibility for. But he added commentary about it being "reckless" or "endangering officers" was not true.
"The real danger began only when this concept was misrepresented and turned into a wedge issue, leading to social media attacks against one of our officers," he added. "That is unacceptable, and those responsible will be investigated and prosecuted."
The backstory:
More than two days after the Dearborn Heights Police Department posted a photo of a police patch featuring Arabic script, the city's mayor says the patch was only an idea and should never have been presented as official.
Police confirmed to FOX 2 that the department had a new optional patch that officers can wear as part of their uniform. The patch read ‘Dearborn Heights Police’ in both English and Arabic and would have been the first in the United States to feature Arabic script.
Mayor Bill Bazzi, recently appointed by President Donald Trump as the US Ambassador to Tunisia, released a statement on the police department's Facebook page on Friday. In the statement, Bazzi said the patch effort was for internal discussion within the department but ‘was not put forth for consensus of further review’.
The original post, which said the patch was optional, has been removed from Facebook.
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.
The Source: Previous reporting and a social media post from Dearborn Heights officials was cited for this story.