I will begin this article with a quote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Over the past three-years as the Midwest Division Commander, I have worked very hard to serve all of our community members. The Arabic community’s love and support of our officers and to myself has been a phenomenal experience. I really appreciate that exceptional friendship.
Today, with a saddened heart, I am informing our wonderful community members that I will be leaving the Midwest Division and will be assigned to an investigative division downtown, called Major Assaults & Family Violence. I will oversee a division that is responsible for investigating many of the violent crimes against persons that occur in the city. This division is comprised of subject-matter experts who investigate family violence incidents and assist victims with many social services.
I would like to highlight some of the accomplishments of the Houston Police Department’s Midwest Division over the past three years working with the community. We had many collaborative efforts with each of you- and through those efforts we created a positive impact in improving the quality of life for the citizens we serve.
I first observed our strong community partnership during Hurricane Harvey. I clearly remember Julia Nader and Nabil El Habbaki owners of Lebanon Times Magazine And Radio making arrangements to ensure that our employees were fed. In addition to that, many of the community members came together with our Midwest officers to perform water rescues and save hundreds of lives. It was a very hard time and long-hours for our first responders. It was also devastating to our community. Our collaborative work during and after hurricane Harvey brought our beautiful city back to normal quickly, and I appreciate those efforts.
I am also proud to mention is that we have wonderful Arabic language instructors who volunteered to come to the Midwest Division to teach our officers conversational Arabic. The officers that participated are very appreciative and have shown great interest in learning a new language and about the Arabic culture. These experiences help build bridges of trust and understanding that brought us closer together.
I would like to welcome Commander J. Read to the Midwest Division. At times commanders come and go but we are all still part of the Midwest family. My suggestion to everyone is to continue to support the Houston Police Department’s Midwest Division and its new Commander, just as you showed me your love and respect when I first was assigned here. Your outreach and support early in my tenure gave me the strength to overcome many of the challenges I encountered and ultimately helped me to serve you better.
I would especially like to thank the Arabic community for the support you showed me in making me feel welcome over the past three-years. It was a special experience for me and a very successful partnership. Though I have transitioned to a new division, I will always feel like I am part of this community and will make myself available to you when needed.
