Former KGB Lt. Col. Emin Gadzhiyev has become what is believed to be the first member of that once-feared Soviet agency to become an American law-enforcement officer.
Gadzhiyev, 44, officially became a corrections officer for the Broward County Sheriff's Department Thursday, his balding head standing out at a graduation ceremony from those of his classmates, most of whom are 20 or more years younger than he.Joe Hess, an instructor in the Broward Community College Criminal Justice Institute, pinned a gold star on the ex-Soviet policeman's uniform.
Spokesmen for the FBI and CIA who were contacted in September, when Gadzhiyev entered the 13-week course, said they knew of no other former Soviet KGB officers now in U.S. law enforcement.
"I am very proud," Gadzhiyev said. "I think I am joining the finest law-enforcement agency in the nation."
If the Hallandale resident thinks highly of his new agency, his superiors think highly of him.
"He fit right in," said George Long, academy commander. "He had to fight something of a language barrier, but he did well. I think he studied much harder than most because of that.
"When he first came here, he would sit very straight and stare straight ahead," Long said. "We didn't know if he was listening or not. Then we found out that was how they taught him in Russia. We got him to loosen up a bit."
"He was one of the best in the class," said Sharon Bailey, a firearms instructor. "A very good student and a good shot."
Gadzhiyev was one of 34 graduates from the original 37-member class. He says he learned a lot and that competing with his younger classmates was a daily challenge.
"You can feel democracy working even in the jail," said Gadzhiyev, who has been working in the Broward jail in Fort Lauderdale. He also said American jails are as good as "three-star hotels and federal hospitals in Russia. Maybe the jail is a little better than the hospital," he said.
A native of Baku, Azerbaijan, Gadzhiyev graduated from the University of Baku with a degree in electromechanical engineering and was recruited by the KGB.
Upon graduation from the KGB Academy, he was assigned to the Second Directorate, which functions much like American agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service.
While a young officer, he said he became aware of corruption within the KGB. After he directed an operation in Baku that netted the Soviets a copy of the tiles used on the U.S. space shuttle, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded the Red Star.
Assigned to investigations in Baku, he soon learned the KGB commander for Azerbaijan was involved in black-marketeering. When he reported this to Moscow, an attempt was made on his life, he said.
Eventually, Gadzhiyev fled the country, only to be arrested in the former Yugoslavia. He was rescued by the CIA and United Nations and brought to the United States in 1987.
Choosing from a list provided by the CIA, Gadzhiyev decided to come to Martin County, Fla., where he took flying lessons, eventually becoming the first Soviet citizen to be licensed as a private pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration. He then became a private investigator, teaching himself English by reading Berlitz books and listening to tapes.