A police officer and Grammy-nominated rapper is using his musical chops to help recruit new officers to the Sacramento Police Department.
When he’s not singing, Officer Filmore Graham patrols the streets of California’s capital, occasionally humming a verse or two of his favorite songs,
“I literally grew up with hip-hop,” Officer Graham told KTLA sister station KTXL in Sacramento. “It’s my passion. It’s my love. It’s what I’m connected to.”
The New York City-native brought his hip-hop roots to the Golden State, where he’s worn the Sacramento police uniform for 18 years.
Now, he wants to inspire new faces to join the department he loves.
“What I’m hoping is that we can reach those people that will say, ‘Hey, I really want to make a difference and I think this is a way that we can do it,’” he said.
And what better way to reach young hopefuls eager to serve their community than through a creative recruitment video?
The department is looking to add 53 positions to its force.
“Police departments should reflect the diversity of the city that you serve in and that’s what we’re looking to do,” Graham said.
“Our goal with this is to reach anybody,” Officer Karl Chan said. “Any race, any religion, any gender because we know that everybody has an experience that they can bring to this job.”
It’s a project that merged passion with profession in hopes of tuning the next generation of police officers.
“Music is about change. Music is a change agent. It connects people,” Graham told KTXL. “I know the power of music, not the power of me. Just I know how powerful music can be.”
The department also changed its tattoo policy to make more people eligible for hire and even provided a faster path for those who served in the military.