Waves of retirements in the NYPD have opened the door for the next generation of officers, which includes an increase in immigrant officers.

“This country is the land of opportunity,” Captain Akim Alam said.

For Alam, that belief brought him to the city from Bangladesh in 2000. Six years later, he started wearing an NYPD uniform.

What You Need To Know

  • Retirements in the NYPD have opened the door for the next generation of officers, which include an increase in immigrant officers

  • August’s graduating class is the largest since 2016
  • Nearly a quarter of the recruits were born outside the U.S., including 44 from Bangladesh

  • Fritz Umbach, an NYPD historian, says waves of immigrants have defined the department for more than a century, from Irish and Italian officers in the 1800s to Puerto Rican and Black officers in the mid-20th century

“At that time, not so many Bangladeshi Americans joined in law enforcement,” Alam said.

Alam wanted to change that. He co-founded the Bangladeshi American Police Association, a group that began with small gatherings.

It’s since grown to more than 1200 members. That network has been key for newcomers like Officer Ishmam Chowdhury.

“We always believed that anything is possible when someone really tries in the United States,” Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury immigrated to the U.S. in 2019, starting out as a 911 operator, before graduating the police academy and becoming an officer in May.

He says mentorship helped him adjust to the job and the weight of what it represents.

“We don’t only bring diversity to the department. We bring dedication and a hunger for success that comes from starting over in a new country,” Chowdhury said.

August’s graduating class is the largest since 2016. Nearly a quarter of the recruits were born outside the U.S., including 44 from Bangladesh.

“Right now, retirements exceed new hires at the NYPD, and I expect we’ll see an even greater diversification of the force in the next 10 years,” Fritz Umbach, assistant professor of history at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said.

Umbach says, for immigrants joining the NYPD, it’s a shot at the middle class.

He says waves of immigrants have defined the department for more than a century, from Irish and Italian officers in the 1800s to Puerto Rican and Black officers in the mid-20th century.

“If you get stopped on the streets of New York City today, there’s about a two in three chance that the person who stops you is a person of color,” Umbach said.

The Bangladeshi community’s contribution is also a reminder of sacrifice.

Fallen Detective Didarul Islam, killed in the Midtown mass shooting last month, was part of that community.

“I feel like it’s up to us to carry the torch of the Bangladeshi pride not only for the NYPD, but America,” Chowdhury said.

With retirements exceeding new hires, the land of opportunity now opens to a new generation of immigrant officers.

Umbach says the next 10 years could bring the most diverse NYPD the city’s ever seen.