Death of NYPD officer spotlights rise of Bangladeshi immigrants within ranks

Those numbers are up from just a handful of officers a few decades ago, a phenomenon some Bangladeshi officers attribute partly to their own patriotic response to anti-Muslim sentiment after the 9/11 attacks, as well as active recruitment and word-of-mouth in the community.

Among the sea of NYPD officers who lined the street to honor Islam, 36, were some who opted for traditional South Asian attire, their police badges worn around their necks. Many joined the throngs of mourners who knelt in the street in prayer.

“He actually uplifted our community in a way that was not imaginable before,” said Shamsul Haque, one of the co-founders of the NYPD’s Bangladeshi officers’ group. “His legacy will endure not only as a hero who gave his life protecting others, but also as a symbol of hope, integrity and the American dream.”

Bangladeshi immigrants join NYPD following Sept. 11 terror attacks

When Haque joined the NYPD in 2004, he was one of just a few Bangladeshi immigrants. Many of those who joined around then wanted to dispel the notion that all Muslims were terrorist sympathizers, he said.

Haque, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1991, had recently graduated college with a business administration degree when the twin towers fell. But rather than follow his peers into a financial field, he enrolled in the police academy, a decision he acknowledged was initially met with skepticism from his parents.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the NYPD built up a domestic surveillance program that for years systematically spied on Muslim communities and monitored local businesses, mosques and student groups in a hunt for terror cells.

Haque, 52, who retired earlier this year after becoming the first South Asian and first Muslim to attain the rank of lieutenant commander in the NYPD, said the perception of Muslims among rank-and-file members has improved.

Early in his career, he recalled feeling singled out when a counterterrorism expert warned officers during a training session about the possibility of al-Qaida operatives infiltrating the force.

“Over the years, people started to realize that we work hard, we are ethical,” Haque said. “Although we are immigrants, we are patriotic.”

Path to NYPD badge begins with civilian police jobs

To grow their numbers, Haque and others went out into the community proselytizing a sensible path for recently arrived immigrants.

Aspiring Bangladeshi officers were encouraged to take civilian jobs in the department, such as traffic enforcement officers and school safety agents, that don’t require U.S. citizenship. After gaining citizenship, usually in about five years, they could then apply for the police academy to become a uniformed officer.

Some 60% of all officers of Bangladeshi heritage in the NYPD followed this pipeline, Haque estimated. Islam, the officer killed last week, began his career as a school safety officer after immigrating to the U.S. about 16 years ago.

The visible growth of Bangladeshis in the NYPD has helped many aspire to leadership roles in the department, just as generations of Irish, Italian and Latino immigrants did before them.

Among the uniformed officers with Bangladeshi roots are 10 detectives, 82 sergeants, 20 lieutenants and four inspectors, said Sgt. Ershadur Siddique, current president of the Bangladeshi American Police Association. The department's uniformed ranks are roughly 38% white, 33% Hispanic, 17% Black and nearly 12% Asian, according to NYPD data.

“I never dreamt that I would go this far, but I always had an ambition to go somewhere where I can be challenged,” said Siddique, now a member of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail. “I always say, ‘Listen, give me a chance, see if I can do better than anybody else,’ you know? Give me a chance.”

Young officer reflects on shooting

Ishmam Chowdhury, a 26-year-old officer who graduated from the academy in May, said Islam’s death just a few months into his own career has left a lasting impression.

Like Islam’s wife, who is expecting their third child, Chowdhury's wife is due to give birth to their first soon.

“It just hit us a little different because like that made us think, what if it happens to me today? It can,” he said. “So yeah, I guess that’s a wake-up call for us that even though this is a noble job, we are definitely at grave risk.”

Chowdhury said he dreamed of joining law enforcement even before he immigrated to the U.S. in 2019. As a teenager in Bangladesh, he and other family members were robbed multiple times. The feeling of helplessness and humiliation stuck with him, he said.

Chowdhury started as an unarmed volunteer member of the NYPD auxiliary before joining the civilian ranks as a 911 operator in 2021.

He also served about a year in the police force in Washington, D.C., after it opened applications to green card holders in 2023, but he and his wife felt isolated from friends and family. So after receiving his citizenship last year, the couple moved back to Queens and he enrolled in the police academy.

“That’s what makes this city, this country, great. It doesn’t matter where somebody comes from,” Chowdhury said. “If somebody really works hard and truly wants to do something, they can do it.”

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Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo