The following interview with Sharif Hidayat, a police and community service officer with the 4th district of Maryland’s Montgomery County Police Department. He discusses the importance of living in the community he serves in order to connect with residents and engage across differences. The video was conceived, conducted, produced and edited by Middle East Policy Council interns, Gabrielle Hunt (Seton Hall University) and Sara Lönegård (University of Dundee/San Francisco State) in 2017. MEPC interns have the opportunity to work on independent projects that contribute to the educational mission of TeachMideast and foster better understanding. Contact [email protected] to learn more.