Meet Moe Anwar: A Young Man’s Journey From Refugee Camp to Brentwood Police Officer

In the 1990s, during Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror in Iraq, Moe Anwar’s family fled north to Turkey. An estimated 50,000 to 460,000 Iraqis escaped across the border, and like most of them, the Anwar family found their way into a refugee camp. That’s where Moe was born and spent his earliest childhood years.

When he was only three, Moe moved again. This time, the family settled in California.

“The good people in the community he lived in were police officers,” Brentwood Police Chief Richard Hickey said recently. “That’s what instilled the desire to be a police officer within him.”

Hickey was addressing the Brentwood City Commission, and that Monday night, Anwar stood next to him, dressed in a blue uniform. A few moments later, Brentwood Mayor Mark Gorman administered the oath of office, making Anwar the newest officer in the Brentwood Police Department.

“I don’t know if you’ll ever hear a more unique story and path that brought somebody to be a police officer,” Hickey said.

When Anwar was still a young man, the family moved again to Middle Tennessee. Anwar went on to earn several college credits from Nashville State Community College, and he’s now working on his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. For the last three years, he has served as a police officer in Murfreesboro.

“But his wife, Michelle, and their three-year-old daughter, Camilla, live in Brentwood,” Hickey said. “He (Moe) said he wants to serve the community he lives in.”

After Anwar took the oath of office, Brentwood City Commissioner Anne Dunn called him a “true inspiration.”

“What a story,” she said. “I don’t think anyone can imagine being born in a refugee camp. I’m just so impressed with his story and how he led his life.”

Moments later, Brentwood City Commissioner Allison Spears also acknowledged the City’s newest officer.

“We want to offer a really warm welcome to Moe Anwar as our newest addition to the Brentwood Police Department,” she said. “We’re excited to have you, Moe.”

Anyone interested in becoming a Brentwood Police Officer is encouraged to check the Human Resources website regularly for current job openings. A description of the top five reasons to join the BPD is available on the City’s website, and a video highlighting the benefits City employees receive is available here.