Officer Breaking Barriers In Sacramento Police Department
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A local police officer is helping to break barriers in a department that's been criticized for his lack of diversity.
"I say my American dream because I don't know how many people dream to be an officer," said Officer Sarabjit Virk.
Virk has been patrolling the city's streets for a little over a year.
"Some people are happy to see us, some people are not happy to see us," he said.
His life was much different 9 years ago.
He immigrated to America with his family, having little money and speaking no English. He vowed to learn the language and become a U.S. citizen.
"It boggles my mind when I see a lot of people running around not taking any advantage of the opportunity that this country has to offer," he said.
Before becoming an officer he worked a series of jobs in computer sales and at convenience stores. Those jobs allowed him to hone his public service skills and learn the language.
"I didn't learn English in school, I just learned by speaking to people," Virk said. "Whenever people say a word that I don't know, I just asked them right away, 'Hey, what did you say? What does that even mean?'"
The Sacramento Police Department continues to receive criticism for its lack of diversity with 74 percent of sworn officers being white even though the overall population is only 34 percent white.
New officers like Virk are whom the department is actively trying to recruit.
"We want officers with various experiences to be able to serve our entire community," said Sgt. Vance Chandler with the department.
His language skills have already been put to use on a high-profile crime. He was called out to a murder scene in November 2017 to help communicate with the family of a 17-year-old who was gunned down in his grandparents' Natomas garage.
"They weren't comfortable speaking to the officers, so then when I spoke in Punjabi they were comfortable and they answered a lot of questions," he said. "It was very surreal because you know it's that first-hand experience knowing that these people are in pain and they just want to see their grandson."
His ability to speak three languages is just one benefit he brings to the department.
"People who have that same background as him can look up to him as a role model and say, you know, 'He's done it I want to be a police officer,'" Chandler said.
While his journey began halfway around the world, now he's helping keep Sacramento's streets safe.
"It's great. I still can't believe I'm a police officer with Sac PD. It's amazing, it's a dream come true," he said.
