DALLAS — Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Malik Aziz has been named police chief of Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland, officials announced Friday.
Aziz was commended for his consistent focus of leadership in community policing and bring a fresh perspective, and a goal to be at the forefront of police reform, said County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks Friday.
Aziz said he never would have dreamed that he would become police chief of the county and that he was honored and thankful.
"Police-community relations have been very important to me for over three decades in law enforcement," Aziz said. "At every avenue, it has been really important to establish positive and proper community relations."
He has been with the Dallas Police Department for 29 years, starting as a patrol officer, and has overseen a variety of divisions in the police department.
Prince George's County, which borders the east of Washington D.C., includes Joint Base Andrews, FedEx Field (home of the Washington Football Team), and the United States Census Bureau headquarters.
A community survey showed the residents of Prince George's County wanted these top three qualities in a chief: taking ownership for the department's actions, having a high level of integrity and demonstrating sincere concern for the community, county officials said Friday morning.
The top issues for public safety, according to the survey, were trust and engagement with the community. The survey showed residents wanted a chief with a track record of building and maintaining community relationships, Alsobrooks said.
The county's police department serves the incorporated portions of the county.
Prince George's County has about 909,000 people, according to the U.S. Census, compared to 1.3 million in Dallas.
Last month, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia promoted Aziz from Major to Deputy Chief.
Aziz was a finalist for the Dallas PD Chief position. He's been with the Dallas Police Department since 1992.
He served as deputy chief under former Chiefs David Kunkle and David Brown and has held multiple other leadership positions, including commander over the patrol, communications and traffic divisions.
Aziz served as acting assistant chief in 2017 over Crimes Against Persons, which includes the homicide, robbery and assaults divisions.
In 2015 he was the deputy chief over the Investigations Bureau, which included domestic violence, child abuse, major crimes and youth divisions.
In 2012 and 2013 he commanded the specialized units which included SWAT, mounted patrol and helicopter units.
He was stationed at the North Central Patrol Division. He was a finalist for Dallas police chief in 2017 when Renee Hall was hired.
Aziz has an extensive national resume. He has been Executive Director over Police and Communities Together, National Chair of the National Black Police Association and was the chairperson over the Dallas Police Museum.
He attended Dallas ISD and graduated from Carter High School.
He has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas.