Kamran Afzal was sworn in as Dayton’s new police chief Monday morning. He will replace former chief Richard Biehl who retired in July after serving the department for 13 years.
Afzal brings with him 30 years of experience in law enforcement. He used to work for the U.S. Capitol police in 1991 and most recently served as police chief in Hopewell, Virginia.
He will now lead a Dayton department with nearly 400 sworn police officers, and manage an annual budget of almost $60 million.
After taking the oath of office, Afzal thanked his family, friends and mentors for helping him get to this point in his career.
“Looking back at my life to think that a kid from Karachi, Pakistan, who immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager will be…given the honor to lead a prestigious department in the heart of America,” Afzal said. “It's surreal.”
City Manager Shelley Dickstein appointed Afzal in October, after leading a six-month nationwide search. That process included the formation of an oversight committee and input from the community.
Dickstein says the process came out of the five police reform working groups formed in the summer of 2020.
“It is a difficult and complex time for our police. National events, coupled with recent interactions with DPD, have strained trust and relationship between community and police,” Dickstein said. “I am confident that Kamran's leadership experience will be inspirational for both our police and community needs.”
