On January 20, 2004, approximately seventy South Asian-American NYPD Police Officers of every rank formed the NYPD Desi Society, becoming the first South Asian-American Fraternal Law Enforcement Organization in the United States.  One of the organization's primary purpose is to represent the interests of South Asian-Americans within the New York City Police Department.

The term "Desi" (pronounced day-see) is a Sanskrit word that means "one from our land".  Similar to the term Latino, Desi is an umbrella term used to refer to anyone of South Asian descent despite their religion (Hindu, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jainists, and Buddhists) or their country of birth (United States, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Guyana, Trinidad, Surinam, South Africa, England, etc.).

The use of the term Desi transcends the boundaries outlined in the political world, hence fostering unity amongst South Asians.

We chose to use "Desi" in our organizations' name because it is a term that is used by us to identify ourselves.  And by identifying ourselves as Desis, we stand united and proud of our ancestry and rich culture.