When he was 13, Tommy Norman saw an advertisement for Feed the Children, a nonprofit relief organization that fights child hunger.

Norman was so moved by the images that he gave his mother the $60 he saved and asked her to help a child overseas.

“That particular moment really captured my heart,” Norman said. “From that point on, I always remember to try to find ways to help people.”

Norman’s desire to help others and an unusual turn of events turned him into a local celebrity and role model for his community policing efforts in the Little Rock area.

During a standing-room only Oct. 13 event at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Donaghey Student Center, spectators lined the halls to hear Norman talk about the positive impact of community policing. The UALR Criminal Justice Society sponsored the free presentation.

Norman’s work and involvement with the Little Rock area community drew national attention and led to a fundraising drive by rapper The Game after his son Harlem searched online for a police officer who was making a difference. With the money raised, Norman is starting a nonprofit organization to help people in central Arkansas.

Norman has become a social media star, with 1.2 million Instagram followers, and more than 20,000 Twitter followers. He uses those platforms to highlight his interactions with members of the community, and his video and photo posts often include messages such as #CommunityPolicing or #ChangeLives.

Dr. Molly Smith, assistant professor of criminal justice, organized Norman’s visit to UALR to show criminal justice students how community policing can be utilized to help the community.

“We want to showcase to our students the benefits of community policing and how they can make a difference in their future careers,” Smith said.

A cause that never ends

Community policing doesn’t end when his shift is over, Norman said. He is greatly involved in the lives of residents, often attending birthday parties, graduations, barbecues, and funerals.

“If you have a visible interest in the community, you don’t really get a day off.” he said. “As a police officer, you shouldn’t just be arresting people. You should be checking up on them, saying hello.”

Members of the community often know where Norman is when he is off duty. Once, when Norman was working security at Kroger on a day off, a mother called him because her son, who had committed a crime, wanted to turn himself in to a police officer who would treat him “with dignity.”

“Community policing builds trust, builds respect, but it can also solve crimes,” he said.

Since becoming an Internet sensation, Norman said “the eyes of the world have really been on me,” but he doesn’t let the attention change who he is.

“The position that I’m in, I don’t take it for granted,” Norman said. “What got me through each step in life was my heart. Your legacy will be how you treated people,” Norman said.