MPD promotes first woman of color to captain

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The whiteboard in Niheema Malloy’s office says “Let’s do this.”

It’ll be erased soon because she’s moving to a new office down the hall at the Maplewood Police Department Headquarters on Springfield Avenue, but the sentiment remains. Malloy became a captain in the department Dec. 3, joining Dawn Williams as the second female captain in the MPD and becoming the first woman of color to attain the rank. She’s now in charge of professional standards, training and compliance.

“I think the new job is more important because it changes how people perceive the police,” Malloy said in an interview with the News-Record on Dec. 16. “This is bigger for the department.”

She grew up in neighboring Irvington and started her career as a police officer there in 2002, coming to Maplewood in May 2006. The oldest of seven siblings, Malloy said the leadership opportunities attracted her to law enforcement.

“I grew up in Irvington, but we came to Maplewood all the time,” she said. “There weren’t that many women here at the time, and they were recruiting. I have four sisters and two brothers, so my mom always said I have leadership qualities. And there’s puzzles and problem solving, so it fit my skill set.”

With a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in criminal justice, a master’s degree in human resources from Seton Hall University and 17 years of experience as a police officer, Malloy was the ideal candidate to make the leap from lieutenant in the detective bureau. Members of the Township Committee showered her with praise when they approved her hiring at the Dec. 3 meeting.

“I agree with the TC members who said she is exactly what a future chief of the Maplewood Police looks like,” Chief Jimmy DeVaul said in an email to the News-Record on Dec. 11. “I am proud to watch her come up through the ranks. She will do a great job as captain.”

Malloy already knows the community well; she was the liaison to the Borden Park Neighborhood Watch group until last month. But she wants to continue to build the relationship between the MPD and town residents.

“What does the community feel like? What do they want from the department?” Malloy said. “We can actually work together instead of just saying we’re going to work together. We try to hear what they think we need.”

While the new captain hasn’t been a patrol officer for a while, she’s often out and about in town, getting to know people.

“We ride around, we eat lunch in town,” she said. “I usually go to all the meetings I’m invited to. I need to be out there so I know what the issues are. People should know who you are so they know they can call you.”

According to Malloy, DeVaul wants the MPD to be the most trained department in the area — and she is now working toward that goal. The department has learned how to work with residents with autism and has worked with the local youth, and community service has been increased in the last few years.

“I want to have an open dialogue,” she said. “I don’t want them to think I don’t care, because I do. That makes us all more approachable and less intimidating. I’m not an intimidating person.”

Being the first to do something always invites attention, and Malloy has been no exception. It’s thrown her a little bit, but she hopes she can set a good example — especially for her own children, who are 2 years old and 6 months old.

“It’s been a lot of attention that I didn’t expect,” she said. “I like the idea that it could inspire someone. Maybe my daughter will be interested in law enforcement. Maybe someone will think about it as a career who hadn’t before.”

Photo by Amanda Valentovic