03/29/2024
Hakeem Brown

Hakeem Brown

Spread the love

It’s true that part of being a law enforcement officer is making arrests, investigating criminal activity, and dealing with people who don’t want to be dealt with.

But, says Bladen County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Hakeem Brown, one of the most important roles for officers is to help people before trouble begins.

Hakeem Brown“We get into law enforcement, and we think it’s about locking people up,” said Brown, who is 25 years old and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for four years, “but there’s a bigger picture about law enforcement than locking people up. It’s about helping people. If I can help somebody before they get into the criminal justice system, then I have done a big thing.”

Brown has worked on patrol and as a school resource officer at West Bladen High before recently moving to the civil division under the administration of newly elected Sheriff Jim McVicker.

Brown has had a life-long desire to help people and plans to make law enforcement his career. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UNC-Pembroke and is expected to receive a master’s degree in justice administration from Methodist University in August. He served as a volunteer firefighter with Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire-Rescue for about six years while growing up in Columbus County. He graduated from East Columbus High School.

“Truth be told, we don’t get paid a lot (in law enforcement),” Brown said. “But, it’s about the joy of helping people. If I can go to someone’s house, and they say, ‘I remember you coming by here, Officer Brown, and you really helped me,’ that’s what makes a big difference. That’s what I want to do.

“The public always sees us at a bad point in their life. We have to reverse it and let them see us when stuff is going good. Not just whenever they call 911 and we have to show up and try to be peacemakers. My thing in law enforcement is if I can help someone I’ve done a lot. That’s what I’m here for,” he said.

Brown says the toughest part of his job is dealing with incidents when children are involved.

“I went to a domestic (call) not too long along, and a little boy was in the middle of it,” Brown said. “That’s what tears me up. I told my wife that in the years I’ve been in law enforcement, this was the first time I ever wrapped somebody in my arms and let them cry.”

Brown says that children are important in changing the image some have of law enforcement. Officers, he says, are not the bad guys. He cites as an example of a parent telling a child that if they act up, then an officer is going to come get them.

“Little kids are like sponges. They absorb everything,” Brown said. “We don’t need to instill in these kids that we’re bad images. This is the generation that will be our next president, our next leaders. We have to work with them.”

Brown relates a story told by one of his professors at Methodist University to his approach to law enforcement. A young boy was throwing starfish back in the ocean after they had been stranded when the tide went out. A man told the boy that he would never be able to throw back all of the starfish. “But if I can just help one, I’ve made a difference,” the little boy said.

“That’s the way I look at it,” Brown said.

About Author