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Arkansas police officer named 2011 'America's Most Wanted' all-star

by jmaloni
Thu, May 12th 2011 01:30 pm

Special episode to air Saturday, June 4, on FOX 

Officer Tommy Norman of the North Little Rock (Arkansas) Police Department has been chosen as the grand prize winner of the 2011 "America's Most Wanted" All-Star Contest. "AMW" will feature Norman's story Saturday, June 4 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on FOX.

The contest, sponsored by Sprint and presented by "AMW," recognizes the bravery of this nation's first responders. Norman was one of more than 1000 first responders nominated by members of the public in the "AMW" All-Star Contest, and he was chosen by online voting as one of eight weekly finalists. Then, through votes cast by the public at AMW.com and via text-message from Sprint phones, he was chosen as the grand prize winner.

"Officer Norman has given so much of his personal time to helping children," said "AMW" host John Walsh. "He is a wonderful, true role model and one good cop."

"We congratulate Officer Norman on winning the 2011 'AMW' All-Star Contest and we're humbled by his service to the community," said Dan Gillison, national director for public safety at Sprint. "We at Sprint are proud to service the public safety community and our frontline responders, and we're pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor the All-Star Contest for the seventh year."

Walsh will present Norman with a check for $10,000 this Saturday, May 14, at a ceremony during Police Week in Washington, D.C. Norman will also receive a trip to the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series All-Star Challenge at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

Norman, referred to as "Officer Friendly" by fellow officers, has been a patrol officer since 1998. He is well known around town for his community service. Local children know him from the yearly back-to-school event where he distributes backpacks and sneakers and as the lead officer for the Star Student Program at local schools.

During the holidays, Norman coordinates community-service programs, including "Shop with a Cop" and "Season of Giving." He recently received the Chief's Award for his ongoing efforts with community-outreach programs, which are done mostly while he is off-duty.

When he is not patrolling the streets, Norman spends his time volunteering, fundraising or helping others. His chief says what is remarkable is that Norman continues to handle as many - and sometimes more - police calls, investigations and arrests than is expected of him. His supervisors say he builds lasting relationships with residents and is a remarkable role model for children. The far-reaching word on the street about Norman even compelled a murder suspect in a neighboring city to surrender himself.

Norman's biography, along with profiles of all the courageous first responders who were nominated, can be found at www.amw.com/allstar (including Buffalo's own Darren Exum).

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