Inspector Tommy Ng keeps a Polaroid photo from his days as a rookie cop.

"This was back in 1999 when I made my first stolen vehicle arrest," he said pointing to the younger version of himself filling out papers at the 61 precinct in Sheepshead Bay.

The photo also captured a dream realized for Ng. He immigrated to Brooklyn from Hong Kong when he was 16, not knowing English- but sure he would become a police officer.

“I feel like a lot of people can’t visualize an Asian can exceed in being in law enforcement as an executive," Ng said. "I think that’s an image I want to promote in law enforcement that it’s a really rewarding career. You know you don’t have to be an accountant, or a lawyer, but you can be a good police officer.”

When he joined the NYPD, Asian Americans made up just one percent of the police force.

Today, there are about three thousand Asian-American officers who make up eight percent of the NYPD.

The increase in diversity occurred as Ng himself rose through the ranks over 22 years. Now an inspector, he is assuming a special projects post this week overseeing the neighborhood coordination officer program in Northern Queens.

"This is my second time coming back to Queens North and I see a lot of familiar faces in the community," he said.

He said his experience on the front lines of policing adds value to the job. Ng served in nearly every neighborhood with an Asian American presence. He also served two years as President of the NYPD Asian Jade Society. When he was the commanding officer of the 5th precinct in Chinatown, Ng was the first to hold community meetings in Chinese.

“As an Asian American in the New York City Police Department, we have the advantage of reaching to an expanded population where they feel a lot comfortable talking to us- using and speaking another language," he said.

That's what Ng tells young officers coming up in the department; with more community representation in blue, the better they can serve and protect.