Global Courant
A decade ago, the number of Albanians in American law enforcement bodies was around 200. In 2023, according to the “Albanian-American Law Enforcement Association”, this figure has reached over 700. The Voice of America spoke with several members of the bodies law enforcement officers in New Jersey and New York, who talk about the challenges of their careers and the importance of increasing the number of Albanian-Americans in blue uniform.
34-year-old Vezir Sela began his career in American law enforcement 15 years ago.
Today, he is an officer in the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey, a high-risk job that is vital to community safety.
Bergen consists of 70 municipalities and is the most populous municipality in New Jersey.
“You never know what you’re getting into. It depends on the nature of the crime and the people. We need to make sure we have all the equipment working. The body camera must be charged. Our cars are equipped with everything, from medical aid, weapons, computers and other things”, says officer Sela.
In an interview for the Voice of America, the officer born in the United States, talks about the challenges at the beginning of his career, when he was only 19 years old.
“I am the first in my family to become part of the law enforcement bodies. I didn’t know what was waiting for me. I didn’t know where I was getting into. In the police academy, I didn’t know how to run, how to shoot a gun. It was a big challenge for six months. It took me a lot of work and dedication. I had the mentality of a young man. But I am happy that I started my career at a young age”, he says.
Years later, the number of Sela family members in American law enforcement increased. Hadis Sela is a Special Forces (SWAT) officer in Hudson County, New Jersey.
While Adem Sela is a detective in the Prosecutor’s office in the municipality of Paseiki in New Jersey.
“In general, there are six members of the Sela family who are police officers in New Jersey. We are in different municipalities. This is a professional job, it will be dignified and a lot of work. It is a job that is recognized, unlike other jobs, so the respect is greater”, says officer Hadis Sela for the Voice of America.
“It is a very important task for us Albanians to show that we are great workers. That we are ready to serve this country, the Albanian-American community and other communities as well. We expect more Albanians to join the law enforcement bodies. As a workplace, it’s a great career, you meet a lot of people, you deal with a lot of things. No day is monotonous”, says Albanian-American detective Adem Sela.
Increasing the number of Albanian-Americans in law enforcement is one of the main goals of the “Albanian-American Law Enforcement Association”, founded in 2019, a nationwide organization that supports Albanians who want to start a career in the American police.
“Now we are like night and day. Before, when we needed an experience, or advice, you couldn’t find it. Now it’s quite simple”, says Elton Shametaj, the founder of the association
According to Mr. Shametaj, a decade ago the number of Albanian-American policemen was around 200, while now this number has increased to over 700 members. He says that almost one in 30 members is a woman.
In general, Mr. Shametaj adds, the association has about 2,000 applications from Albanian-Americans interested in joining law enforcement.
“Thank God here in America only the sky is the limit. We, like everyone else, are very integrated. Albanians could complain earlier, but now you have Albanians in the White House, in the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), in the Department of Justice, you have Albanians everywhere. “, says the founder of this organization, Elton Shametaj.
These law enforcement officers, although most of them were born in the United States, maintain strong ties to Albanian-Americans through participation in almost every community organization.
“My father taught me not to forget the nation, not to forget the country and the tradition. To know your language, because we are Albanians. Don’t forget the origin, to be close to our country and to be together, to progress as Albanians”, says the Albanian-American Azmi Toska, who has been serving as a police officer in the municipality of Hudson in New Jersey for eight years.
According to them, with the increase in the number of Albanians in law-enforcement bodies, the perception of American society about Albanians is also changing.
“Every country has citizens who participate in various criminal activities. Albanians, in every film we have seen, have been portrayed as criminals, which is not true. We are family people, we are great workers. Being in law enforcement is a career to be proud of. It requires courage, pride and commitment,” says Altin Çeloaliaj, detective at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“Those epithets they gave us as Albanians, when we first came, were just for the moment. We are showing ourselves in these coming years who we really are. We are showing that we are enforcers of the law, we want good work and that we want to do something useful”, adds Besmir Sajdarasi, a police officer in New York State.
The Albanian-American Law Enforcement Association also serves as a bridge between American law enforcement agencies and the police of Albania and Kosovo.
Global Courantl
