DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Rotary Club of Dearborn Heights has named Officer Hamze Younis as the 2022 Dearborn Heights Police Department’s Officer of the Year.

Younis has been with the Dearborn Heights Police Department for two years and has been a police officer for three years.

As the school resource officer in the Crestwood School District, Younis said it was always his passion to help people.

“I grew up in Dearborn Heights,” Younis told The Arab American News. “I’ve always had a passion for law enforcement and helping people and it was always a lifelong dream I wanted to accomplish.”

During Younis’ time with the city, he developed a three-week Junior Police Academy for young people to get an up-close look at the work of police officers, firefighters and social workers while also getting legal insight from a prosecuting attorney.

Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart said that while all Dearborn Heights police officers deserve recognition, Younis is a perfect fit for the community.

“I am proud to lead such an outstanding team of professional police officers, dispatchers and support staff at the Dearborn Heights Police Department,” he said. “Although I would like to recognize all staff for their efforts, Officer Younis represents the very best attributes of a contemporary police officer; he is a consensus builder in terms of his relationship with other staff members and the community and serves our educational community as a guest speaker, informal counselor and police officer in his role as a school resource officer. Finally, Officer Younis lives by the ‘golden rule’ to treat others as he wants to be treated and I am very proud of him.”

Younis said that while he appreciates the recognition and is humbled by it, it’s not something he expected.

“Being a resource officer in the Crestwood School District is something I wanted to explore and it’s really a rewarding position to be in,” he said. “I have a passion for serving the citizens of Dearborn Heights. Being a police officer is a very rewarding career and you can influence a lot of lives and do a lot of good. It’s about finding what you’re passionate about and going after it.”