First Indian officer of US’ Milwaukee police retires after 21 years

Washington, February 8

The first Indian police officer of Milwaukee city in the United States has retired after serving 21 years in the force, a media report said.

Balbir Mahay was honoured, and his career was celebrated on Sunday at the Oak Creek gurdwara in Wisconsin, where a tragic shootout in 2012 killed six people.

Mahay was at the gurudwara hours after the tragedy struck, the WISN TV station reported.

In the ceremony celebrating his more than two decades of service, Mahay said he is forever grateful to everyone who made his career possible.

“Thank you to my community, my Indian community, and my Milwaukee Police Department, friends, and families to bring me here and give this much respect that I was able to retire. I’m happy with that,” the report quoted him as saying.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who attended the ceremony, took to Twitter on Monday and said, “Yesterday, I was able to go to the @SikhTempleWi to honor Balbir Mahay – the first Indian police officer employed by the @MilwaukeePolice Department. Thank you, Balbir, for your over 20 years of dedicated service to our city!”

Mahay, who is a member of the gurdwara, came to the US in 1999 and worked for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office for a year before joining the Milwaukee Police.

On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened fire inside the Oak Creek gurdwara, killing six people.

A Sikh priest, who received injuries in the shootout that left him paralysed, also passed away eventually.