A North Little Rock police officer is set to receive tens of thousands of dollars in donations after a famous rapper learned about the officer's community policing tactics online and rallied his more than 6 million followers to support the effort.
North Little Rock police officer Tommy Norman, whose Instagram page features thousands of posts showing him interacting with children and other members of the community, drew the attention over the weekend of Los Angeles rapper The Game.
The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor, posted an image of Norman on Sunday with a link to an online fundraiser Taylor said was set up by his son to help with Norman’s activities.
As of 1:30 p.m., the fundraiser had raised more than $50,000, surpassing its goal. Norman also gained a large, new following. By 2 p.m. Monday, his Instagram followers numbered more than 1 million.
Norman is known to hand out water, snacks and toys to children and adults in the North Little Rock community that he patrols, posting short videos of his interactions on social media.
In an interview at department headquarters Monday, Norman said he had not spoken to the rapper about where the money will be donated. But he said he expected it would create a fund he and other officers could draw from to purchase the supplies they distribute to the community.
When he first started giving away supplies in his downtown patrol area, Norman said, he paid for them from his own pocket. But as the practice grew and the community became involved, the department began receiving donations of goods. Officers then distribute them across the city.
In one post on Instagram on Monday morning, Norman is shown talking with a 21-year-old named Leonte, who says he has known the officer for 10 years.
“It makes me feel protected,” the man says in Norman’s video. “This is the only place I can go and feel protected and know we have great police."
In his Instagram post announcing the fundraiser for Norman, Taylor said the online fundraiser was started after a conversation with his son, Harlem, after the shooting of five police officers in Dallas by a man angered over police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota. An Internet search led them to Norman, Taylor said in the post.
“[I] was touched by how active he is in the black community where he polices," Taylor wrote. "My son said, how does he help all of these kids & stuff, is he rich ??? I said I don't know if he's rich but sometimes it doesn't take much to help those in need son."
Norman said he hoped the attention he has received will inspire other departments to develop practices similar to his own.
"We want this to spread," he said. "There's other neighborhoods and communities across the world that could use this kind of help."
After an interview on CNN last year, Norman was contacted by police in Miami and Baltimore to offer them tips on community policing.
"The true meaning of being a police officer is to be viewed beyond the badge," he said, later adding: "The more time you spend out of your patrol car, the bigger impact you're going to have."
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
