To hear them tell it, Deputy Chief Osama “Sam” Ismail and Major Danny Williams are enjoying the heck out of their new jobs at the Dallas Police Department. Ismail now oversees the northeast and southeast divisions, and Williams is commander of the northeast station, headquartered at Audelia and Northwest Highway.

“You guys have consistently been a factor for the DPD and a factor for the Northeast Patrol Division,” Williams told a crowd of neighbors at the DPD’s “meet and greet” Thursday at Flag Pole Hill. “I’m thankful for that.”

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Williams formerly worked in DPD’s Crimes Against Persons unit, investigating homicides, robberies, assaults and other offenses. He’s happy to be back.

“Patrol is like riding a bike. When you get older, you never know how you’re going to feel when you get back out there.”

Williams said he appreciates the effective internal processes already in place at his new home base and the neighborhood’s long history of supporting the department.

“In this job, I get to meet with the community each and every day,” he said. “I enjoy that.”

In April, Chief Eddie Garcia shared his Crime Reduction Plan, and in May, all 7 divisions began to deploy it. Williams said some of his officers have been assigned to the bike unit to keep LH trails safe, while others are working with the FBI and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

“In our Northeast Patrol Division, our focus is guns, it’s gangs and it’s drugs,” Williams said. “These are federal cases, so these guys will spend a little bit more time paying for the things they did wrong in our community.”

Williams is also working closely with the city’s Office of Homeless Solutions to remove temporary encampments and help unsheltered persons find safe living conditions and helpful social services.

“The OHS goes in and removes all the debris, removes the structures, cleans the area and puts up barriers. It helps us combat crime and increases quality of life for everyone who lives in the neighborhood.”

If Deputy Chief Ismail ever retires from the Dallas police force, he’ll have several choices on his next career. He’s a certified flight instructor and U.S. veteran who earned a degree in pathology and lab science from UT Southwestern medical school.

“The Army told me, ‘Join us and see the world,’” he joked, “but they just shipped me back to the Middle East where I came from.”

While serving overseas, Ismail spent much of his time on inner city police operations, leading to his career in the Dallas Police Department. Dallas, he said, is the only department he applied to and the only place he wanted to work.

Ismail is quick with a joke – especially the self-deprecating kind – but he’s serious when it comes to keeping the people of Dallas safe. He was a supervisor in the police academy, a detective in internal affairs and a commander in the southeast division.

“I’m lucky to be here with you,” he said Thursday. “Previous commanders tell me you have great citizens here who support the police. I’m blessed.”