ABOVE: Amal Awad, photo courtesy of the Hyattsville Police Department.
Amal Awad, a 27-year veteran police officer in Prince George’s County who in January 2019 became the first black, female, and openly LGBTQ Chief of Police in Hyattsville, Md., is scheduled to be sworn in on Dec. 17 as the new Anne Arundel County Chief of Police.
Her swearing in was to take place after the Anne Arundel County Council voted unanimously on Dec. 7 to confirm her nomination to the police chief’s position by County Executive Steuart Pittman, making her once again the first woman, person of color, and out member of the LGBTQ community to hold that position.
“I am honored and humbled that County Executive Pittman has asked me to serve as Anne Arundel County’s next Chief of Police,” Awad said at the time her appointment was announced.
“I have dedicated more than half of my life to this noble profession, and I thank Mr. Pittman for selecting me to lead this professional police department during this pivotal moment in modern policing,” she said.
A statement about her career background released at the time she became police chief in Hyattsville says she began her career as a Prince George’s County police officer at the District 1 Station in Hyattsville. She joined the P.G. department after receiving a master’s degree in management from John Hopkins University, where she graduated with honors.
According to the statement, she worked her way up the ranks in the department, holding the positions of district commander and major in the Office of the Chief before she retired. It says she came out of retirement in 2017 to join the Hyattsville Police Department to serve as captain, the department’s number two position. In 2018 she was named Interim Police Chief following the retirement of the then current chief. And less than a year later, in January 2019, Awad became permanent chief of the Hyattsville department.
At the time the Anne Arundel County Council confirmed her appointment as chief of that department earlier this month, all Council members spoke out about what they considered to be her exemplary qualifications for the position.
Located within Anne Arundel County is the city of Annapolis, the state capital.
