Meet Pratima Bhullar, NYPD's first highest-ranking South Asian woman officer

Captain Pratima Bhullar Maldonado, an Indian-origin police officer has become the highest-ranking South Asian woman in the New York Police Department, a position she was promoted to recently.

Maldonado runs the 102nd Police Precinct in South Richmond Hill, Queens. She was promoted to the rank of Captain last month, CBS News reported on Monday.

The mother of four was born in Punjab and lived there until she was 9 before moving to Queens in New York.

"It feels like coming home. I spent more than 25 years of my life in this precinct when I was growing up," Maldonado said.

South Richmond Hill is home to one of the largest Sikh communities in the country.

"Going to the same Gurdwara that I did as a child, and now as a captain, I love it," Maldonado said as she visited the Gurdwara.

She told CBS 2 her new role will help with community policing.

According to the NYPD, of the department's 33,787 members, 10.5 per cent are Asian.