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Officer Tamika Jenkins arrived at the Inkster Police Department as Commander in April 2023. By the time fall arrived she was promoted to the rank of assistant chief, becoming the second African American woman to fulfill the role of assistant chief of police in Inkster. Jenkins, whose career in law enforcement spans 23 years, came to Inkster following her retirement from the Detroit Public Schools Police Department. She began her career with the city of Pontiac Police Department and is not unfamiliar with Inkster as she worked as an Inkster Police Officer from 2007 to 2011. "I'm not a stranger to Inkster, I have worked here before for many years so I'm very familiar with the community and I was very active in the community. I actually had the role of Community Police Officer when I was here before," she recalls.

Regarding community relations, Jenkins says breaking the barrier between the police and the community has been the biggest challenge of her career. She adds that the challenge is only made more difficult when bad actions by officers in police departments across the nation are highlighted. She is not giving up, however, and is continuing programs already in place in Inkster including the recent Shop With a Cop holiday event and the monthly Coffee With a Cop social. Jenkins also made up care packages to be handed out by officers while on patrol when they encounter what appears to be a homeless individual or an individual in need. In November, the department held a Senior Crime Prevention Summit, and Jenkins says in 2024 she is planning on hosting more summits on the topics of suicide prevention, substance use and abuse, and more. "I would like residents to know that I am going to do my best to try to bridge the gap between the police department and the community and I'm going to do my best to try to make sure that they are provided the services they deserve," she says. "We try often to make sure that we engage with the community and let them know we're thinking about them, we care about them, and that they're not alone."

Jenkins says her passion is connecting with the youth in the community. "I'm really big on the kids. I like to get them while they're young and help them through the many challenges they may encounter. A lot of times they commit crimes and I don't think they understand the ramifications. I noticed a lot of that when I initially got here in April. We had quite a few shootings that occurred and they involved our youth, and I think that they don't understand the ramifications of their actions. I am very passionate about trying to figure out how we can reach them and stop them before it goes to that level," she says.

The job of police officers has its rewards as well, says Jenkins. Sometimes it takes a brush with the law to help an individual realize where their actions may be taking them. "I've had people that I've had to arrest thank me because the route they were going was not a good one and it would have taken them somewhere they weren't prepared to go," she says. "I have literally had people come to me and thank me for the way I communicated with them, thank me for treating them like a human being and not belittling them. Those are the things that are satisfying for me, when I know that I am still able to do my job but people understand why I'm doing the job."

Jenkins says she is ready to tackle the task of restoring trust within the community while fulfilling her role as a leader for the Inkster Police Department to bring about positive change. "That's my goal, to make sure that the community does not look at the police department in a negative light and that we correct the things that need to be corrected, with one of those things being the service we provide to them," she says. "I just want the city of Inkster as a whole to be looked at in a different light."

To keep updated on events and activities the Inkster Police Department is hosting, see their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/inksterpolice/.