The 37-year-old first joined the DC Police Department to support his family, but quickly learned that his badge would serve a much deeper purpose.
WASHINGTON — Officer Hakim Tate is a third-generation Washingtonian from what he considered one of the most “tough” neighborhoods known as Trinidad.
“I used to get in trouble as a kid, but you know it’s all part of me and part of, you know, who I’ve become,” he told WUSA9.
Officer Tate has gone from a kid sometimes running from trouble to an officer rushing after him.
“Just being among this culture of law enforcement, when it was repressive when I grew up, was a tough decision to make,” Officer Tate explained.
The 37-year-old first joined the DC Police Department to support his family, but quickly learned that his badge would serve a much deeper purpose.
Officer Tate works primarily on community engagement by visiting schools to connect with young people, playing in the department band and participating in other community events.
He used his passion for working with children to create two children’s books.
Officer Tate’s first book, “God Bless the Mother,” was meant to remind children how important their mother is.
His latest book, The Twin’s Adventure: A Race with an Officer Friendly, explores the relationship between the police and the community.
“Understanding the culture and being part of the culture – it gives me a personal responsibility to give back,” explained Officer Tate.
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He admitted that the culture between law enforcement and communities of color is sometimes tense in cities across the country.
“That was the culture and that’s what I saw,” Officer Tate said. “Just being out of uniform wasn’t the only way for me to affect change and create other ideas of what police culture should look like. I can do that through a book .
Officer Tate described moving his community forward by encouraging people like him to help protect the culture by taking on roles and being responsible for their own community.
If you know of anyone or a topic that should be in our For Culture segment, email Michael Quander at mquander@wusa9.com or DM him on Twitter Where Instagram.