FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – When protesters invited Fayetteville police to join them in a march last week, Chief Gina Hawkins saw it as a chance to support the people they serve.

“We are the community, we're part of the community, and we want to support who we are,” she said.

Hawkins became chief of the Fayetteville Police Department in 2017 after a 29-year law enforcement career in Georgia. She said whenever she is out of uniform, she knows she is seen first and foremost as a woman of color. When she is in uniform, she is seen first and foremost as a police officer.

Hawkins personally faced discrimination as a little girl, including from her own grandparents.

“I empathize all the way around,” she said. “I can see perspectives because of who I am all the way around. I understand the importance of listening all the way around.”

Hawkins serves on the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. She said the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month has lent a new urgency to that body's work.

The commission is now looking closely at use-of-force policies, an issue that was not a priority when President Donald Trump created the panel in January.

Hawkins said various accreditation agencies have recommended practices for such policies, but there are no national standards. She wants that to change.

Within her own department, she has emphasized de-escalation training and allowing civilians to see police training for themselves. She said if people want to see a change in how police interact with the communities they serve, they should consider a career in law enforcement themselves.

“If you want to be a part of the solutions for our future, for our nation and for our city, please be part of it by joining law enforcement,” she said.

Hawkins is one of about 40 black police chiefs in North Carolina. Twenty of the state's 100 sheriffs are African-American as well.