My little boy loves police officers, sometimes I look at him and wonder what it is about the man in blue that makes him smile and get totally excited when he sees one?
Maybe it’s the uniform, maybe it’s the way they carry themselves, maybe its the cool car that they drive, who knows, but as a mom, with a black son I know he has unconditional love for the “Podice Oppicer” and by extension, I have love for them too.
This week has been hard for us, it has been hard for black people who are tired of watching the lives of our black men and women get snuffed out without even a chance to see a jury.
On the other side of the coin, it has been hard to see the senseless killing of our officers in retaliation to send some sort of message that only leads to more grief.
These men and women of the law have an oath to abide by that says they will protect and serve our communities. This doesn’t just mean harassing people or fulfilling a quota in easy target areas. As a matter of fact for many of these cops, the good ones at least, the oath means ensuring that we abide by the law and also getting to know their communities and the people in it.
It means making friends with the oldest lady on the block because she calls them so often for little things. Or talking to a little girl for hours who never wants you to leave and go do your job. Or teaching a lesson to a young man about being respectful of his elders. It means that you allow yourself to be human in your treatment of the citizens and our citizens remember that cops are people too.
This brings me to Officer Tommy Norman, the police officer on Instagram that is showing the entire world what “Community Policing” looks like.
He has been doing this for a long time, but in the last couple of days, his page has been getting a lot of love because people are looking for hope and a bridge between citizens and police. This is just what Officer Norman provides a little bit of hope and plenty of smiles.
The question is how does a good police officer protect and serve his little community in Little Rock Arkansas?
Well I can show you better than I can tell you… press play
With his beloved Amiyah
Amiyah never wants him to leave
With his beloved Lois
This kid’s eyes when he realized who he was
Do you see these kids running?
His message:
I wish I could post every video but I just can’t, if you are feeling down or a little frustrated, I promise that after seeing this man’s Instagram you will have hope.
Thank you “Oppicer” Norman for being who you are and being 110% committed to making a difference and inspiring the world!
Follow Officer Norman here and on Instagram here.
If you want to donate to any of the kids featured in his videos, send your donations here:
Donations can be sent to: Officer Tommy Norman, 2525 Main Street, North Little Rock, AR, 72114. Please include instructions on gifts. Thank you!