Police recruits with city officials – Photo: City of Dearborn

As journalists, our responsibility is not to fix the government, but to point out the areas that need repairs. We can’t patch the potholes in the streets. However, we can raise concerns about decaying roads.

When we point to an issue and those in charge ignore it, the voices we convey may go unheard, but the problem does not go away.

At the Dearborn Police Department, there appears to be a problem. Four officers have resigned from the department since last year. All four happen to be Arab American. Two of those officers told The Arab American News that they have faced bullying and intimidation by colleagues and superiors.

We pointed to the apparent problem, but no one at City Hall or the Police Department was willing to listen.

Chief Ronald Haddad said at a press conference on Thursday that he is not aware of the concerns— 10 days after we contacted his office multiple times and three days after the story was published on our website.

Before publishing the article stating the grievances of the former officers, we attempted to contact the city and the Police Department repeatedly. We even revealed the details of the allegations to the director public information and extended our deadline to accommodate the schedules of the powers that be. Yet, we received no official response from the city.

Now that the story is out, there is a situation that needs to be addressed.

In a previous editorial, we complained about the city’s lack of responsiveness and transparency. Officials’ decision to ignore our request for comment demonstrate those concerns.

We cannot confirm the accounts of the former officers who spoke of a hostile environment at the Dearborn Police Department. However, their claims deserve to be investigated.

Bullying at the workplace amounts to discrimination.

The Police Department is already dealing with two tragic incidents where two unarmed African Americans were shot by Dearborn officers. The federal government is lending a helping hand in training the police in ethnic sensitivities after the homicides.

The problem does not go away if it is ignored.

Chief Haddad has pledged to hire qualified Arab American officers.

“As long as they qualify, we definitely want people from the community,” Haddad told The Arab American News in December 2014. “We are trying to make sure the department reflects the community we serve.”

The chief has kept his promise. We commend him for his efforts.

We understand that Haddad cannot be aware of everything that goes on in the department. However, the allegations of racism and disrespectful treatment toward Arab officers merit his attention.

The Arab American News urges top officials in the department to conduct an investigation into the matter.

Haddad said he does not tolerate the mistreatment of officers by their superiors. We believe him and encourage him to investigate the claims of the Arab officers who resigned.