Hamtramck Chief of Police Max Garbarino and a Hamtramck officer who prefers to remain anonymous due to his connections with the DEA, are the first participants of a state sponsored transnational police conference set to take place in Bangladesh. At the conclusion of the nearly 24 hour flight from the officers’ Metro Detroit headquarters, Garbarino and his fellow officer will arrive at the Bangladesh Police Academy. By spending time with the local authorities of Bangladesh the Hamtramck officers will heighten their consciousness of diversity as it relates to public service and protection both around the globe and at the homeland. The trip will also allow Hamtramck officers and Bengali officials to exchange country-specific police tactics and practices to further enrich policing methods the world over.
Garbarino is quoted as saying that he anticipates returning to Hamtramck with “a better understanding of Bengali customs” and is hopeful that more of his fellow officers will receive the opportunity to make the trip and gain a similar experience. Another goal of the meeting is to invigorate the multi-cultural community of Hamtramck, and to accredit the population of Bengali-Americans in Metro Detroit interested in pursuing careers as police. Currently there is only one Bengali-American enrolled in the Detroit Police Academy-a statistic that Police Chief Max Garbarino is driven to change in hopes of creating a more diverse work force .