Kefah Mazloum (Center)

DEARBORN — Kefah Mazloum, 25, is one of eight new officers sworn into the Dearborn Police Department this week.

Mazloum was born and raised in Dearborn. He graduated from Fordson High School in 2008 and then obtained an associate’s degree at Henry Ford Community College. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Madonna University, where he graduated with honors.

Mazloum volunteered for more than a year as an auxiliary officer in River Rouge before applying for a position in Dearborn. He said he’s always wanted to serve the community he grew up in.

“I love that I can help people in my community,” he said. “It’s something very special to be able to work in a city you grew up in. Having the community support has been very exciting for me.”

Mazloum completed a 17-week academy and one week of in-house training before being sworn in as an officer. He will begin his patrolling duties in the coming weeks. 

“The police department is treating me amazingly,” he said. “They are happy to have someone from the community. All the officers are supportive and they are all showing their support to me and my fellow academy graduates.”

Mazloum is the latest Arab American to be hired into the department.

Many Arab Americans in the metro Detroit area pursuing careers in policing have struggled to find employment. Local departments have said they often get disqualified during the hiring process following a background check on their driving records and personal debts.

Mazloum said he also struggled to find employment for a couple of years following his graduation from Madonna University. His advice to aspiring police officers is to do volunteer work to show good standing with local communities and to be a law-abiding citizen.

The other officers sworn in this week were: Joshua Matschikowski, Derek Sturdevan, Ryan Alexander, Aaron Najor, Adam Walker, Kiefer McCollum and Derek Greathouse.