A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer is breaking down barriers.

49-year-old Farhat Mir is the department's first female Muslim Pakistani officer.

She moved to the United States two years after 911.

Now Mir is using her life experience and perspective to help combat terrorism in Las Vegas, and it begins by building relationships.

"Hi Rabbi," says Mir as she walks into Chabad of Summerlin. "How are you? How is everything?"

The synagogue is a regular stop for the 8-year veteran of the force, building bridges within the religious community.

"I knock on every single door. It doesn't matter if it's a synagogue, mosque, temple, Buddhist temple, Sikh temple, church," says Mir. "No matter what it is, if it's a faith-based organization, I knock on the door. And I keep knocking till they open and build that relationship with me."

Mir works in LVMPD's Fusion Center, helping the department recognize and stop potential attacks on our community, including so-called soft targets.

"Unfortunately, the day we are living in, faith-based organizations are easy targets because their doors are open to everybody," she explains.

Fusion Centers were created across the nation in response to Sept. 11, 2001, bringing together federal, state, and local intelligence systems to share information.

"Our ultimate goal is to create vigilance," says Sgt. Bryce Martines, the Fusion Management Team Supervisor. "One of the great things about Officer Mir is she has a lot of life experience that we can't connect with here in the United States. Things we take for granted."

"I speak three languages," says Mir. "I can read four but speak three."

But Mir says if her career choice is unusual for a Muslim Pakistani woman, she's not finished surprising people.

Entering the upcoming Mrs. Nevada pageant, set to crown a queen on June 18 in Las Vegas.

"I'm here to crack the walls that separate people and their thinking," says Mir. "And I want to open the horizon for females from my background. Southeast Asia, Middle East, Muslim females. Being part of a pageant for Muslim women is not normal. They hesitate; they don't take part in pageants."

Still, she says it's not about winning. It's about doing, just like graduating from a grueling police academy at age 42.

"I never worked here in the United States. I had no education from here at that time," says Mir. "Now I have a Bachelor of Science degree from here."

And she has something else, the trust of many in the religious community, including Rabbi Chaim Ozer Metal.

"Once we met a couple of years back, I was like, Pakistan? That's interesting. Let's see how this is going to turn out," says Rabbi Metal.

And it turned out to be something special—a lasting friendship.

"When it came to Officer Mir, it was constantly engaged, constantly asking how we're doing," he explains. "Even though she moved from the Northwest to Summerlin to headquarters, she was always there. Interacting, making sure we're ok."

Mir has a commitment to people and protecting the safety of an entire valley by taking the time to listen, learn and care.

"It's a two-way relationship," says Officer Mir. "Together, we are strong. We can make this community safer when we are together."

The statement "SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING" still applies.

LVMPD relies on the community to call in tips about activity that could lead to mass casualties.

The hotline number for the Fusion Center is (702) 828-7777.