In a unanimous decision, the Hamtramck City Council has fired City Manager Max Garbarino and signaled its intention to remove Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri and Officer David Adamczyk from their positions, amidst controversy and allegations of misconduct. The decision, which emerged from an 85-minute closed session yesterday, relied on a report by an external law firm, which detailed various instances of apparent corruption and poor judgment by the city officials.
As per The Detroit News, the council could not directly dismiss Altaheri and Adamczyk due to provisions within the city's charter and union contracts; thus, the directive for their termination was handed to the acting city manager. Council member Khalil Refai abstained from the vote. Reno Arabo, representing Garbarino and Adamczyk in a whistleblower lawsuit, warned that the firings would fuel their legal challenge, telling reporters, "It’s going to be a long, drawn-out process," as noted by ClickOnDetroit.
According to details from a ClickOnDetroit report, the alleged misconduct included a range of accusations, from destroying evidence and misusing police resources to blackmail attempts and overtime fraud. The assertions against Garbarino were said to be largely unsubstantiated, but concerns were raised over his decision-making while in the role of city manager.
Garbarino, through his counsel, has accused the council, which is composed entirely of Muslim members, of discriminating against him because of his race. Altaheri, in a statement obtained by ClickOnDetroit, commented on the situation, "Termination is not only unfair to me but also harmful to our city." Amir Makled, a civil rights attorney representing Altaheri, expressed confidence that his client's reputation would be vindicated in court.
Amid the shakeup, residents and workers in Hamtramck offered varying perspectives, with some noting that this kind of turmoil was not what they expected when they came to the city decades ago, while others suggested such incidents were not out of character. Details from a FOX 2 Detroit interview with a law enforcement expert described the situation as "a small-town mess," with references made to allegations of evidence-destruction and improper conduct involving gun handling incidents.
