Tommy Norman was born and raised in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the same city he now proudly serves. He dreamed of becoming a police officer as a young boy and even became familiar with local police officers who would visit him when he was young. It is almost as though he was born to do the job, destined to play the role model for all police officers to follow in this era.
Officer Norman has an extraordinary bond with the people of his community, which is evident on social media. He posts daily pictures and videos on his Instagram of visits with children and other residents he knows around the community. He is also on Twitter and Facebook and has his own website. Children from all over North Little Rock are close with Officer Norman; they look at him like a true hero. It’s touching to witness the growing generation start on the right foot with Officer Norman.
One of America's current goals is to develop strong, trusting bonds between authority officials and civilians everywhere, and it can happen anywhere. North Little Rock is a prime example of hope for this country. Officer Norman goes above and beyond the duty of any police officer. Some of his accomplishments include donating backpacks and school supplies to 50 NLRSD students and establishing the “Shop with a Cop” program to help students in need buy shoes. Norman’s hard work and dedication to his community should be the norm for police officers, yet all we see on television is officers doing nothing but petty and cruel crimes. It’s not fair for police officers like Tommy Norman to be lumped together with the police officers who use excessive force and shoot unarmed civilians.
Officer Norman’s dedication and love for his community spread positivity that counters the negative image police officers often have today. The majority of the people of this country are cautious and fearful around the men and women with a badge and uniform. We are supposed to rely on our police officers for safety and protection, but it’s difficult to trust in them when police brutality is all over the news. There are still good hearted police officers out there: Officer Norman is one of them. North Little Rock gives us hope; Officer Norman gives us hope. All it takes is one community, one officer at a time.
