Viral Arkansas police officer on a mission to make a difference

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (NewsNation Now) — Viral sensation and Arkansas police officer Tommy Norman is making waves for his brand of community policing.

Norman joined his local police force in 1998 and since then has felt the need to reach out to the community he serves. Norman’s goal is to build bridges with people in the community to form deeper relationships.

Norman’s commitment to his community has helped him gain 1 million Instagram followers, but for Norman it’s about more than just social media likes.  

“If I’m not making a difference here then the followers don’t matter,” Norman said.  “God has really blessed me with a worldwide platform, but my heart is here in North Little Rock, my heart is here in Arkansas.”

Norman continues to patrol the streets but he hopes his friendship with his community can make them safer.  

“You have to be a friend. You have to know people’s story and be engrained in the community that you serve,” Norman said, “Stay off the main streets. Go into the neighborhoods. Get out of your car. Walk around. Sit on some front porches. Meet people. let them know you’re on a first name basis. It’s okay to be their friend. It’s okay to know that you can count on them if they can count on you. That’s very, very important.” 

Norman will join NewsNation Now’s Aaron Nolan to talk about his platform in a livestream coming up on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. EST.

NewsNation affiliate KARK contributed to this report.