Basketball Cop is Taking Kindness Off the Court — By Starting a Nonprofit Foundation
Florida Police Officer Bobby White is Proving to be a Repeat Champion for Kids
By Mae Velasco, HeroFuel® Reporter
It seems like Florida’s “Basketball Cop” is more than a one-shot wonder. Do you remember this familiar face on HeroFuel? In early 2016, Gainesville Police Department Officer Bobby White was dispatched to answer a “complaint of kids playing basketball ‘loudly’ in the streets.” What he did next warmed the hearts of America, his act of kindness going viral and hitting major media outlets like CNN, USA Today and the Rolling Stone.
As soon as the neighborhood kids saw his police car roll in, it became uneasily quiet, a few of them even scurrying home to peek around the front door. Only one teen stood outside, basketball in hand.
Officer White only had one thing to say: “Can you believe someone is calling to complain about kids playing basketball in the street? Can you believe that? I don’t know who called, but obviously I ain’t got no problem with it.”
He grabbed the ball and casually took a shot.
And with that, Officer White didn’t lay down the law, but soon attempted to do a layup.
When more players ran to the hoop, the Gainesville police officer joined in on the fun. When it was time to go, he left them with a last message and a promise. He told them there’s no problem with playing basketball on the street and he’d rather see them enjoy themselves than getting into trouble. He also joked that one day he would bring backup.
Officer White kept his word. When retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal heard the story, he reached out to GPD, and soon, he was out there with Officer White to enjoy a few games with the kids and to inspire them. Could it have gotten any better?
It did. With the momentum and outpouring of support for #HoopsNotCrime, the hashtag GPD began to use to support positive relationships between our law enforcement and our youth, teams like the Orlando Magic, and even a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, have joined White in his mission to change lives.
But what has been the biggest slam dunk?
The birth of the Basketball Cop Foundation.
White created this cause to repair something that most people have trouble acknowledging: the damaged relationship and mistrust between our nation’s law enforcement and the youth and communities they serve. He aims to bridge this gap, and he’s doing it by collecting donated hoops, basketballs and sprucing up courts for children and their families.
“The foundation’s mission is to connect cops with kids in a proactive, positive manner, using sport as a vehicle. The goal of these interactions is to build relationships with the youth through trust,” White said to HeroFuel®. “Most of what we do is covered by the media. A desired side effect of our work would be to change the negative perception and lack of trust that some of our adult citizens have of our law enforcement.”
Since its beginnings earlier this year, the Basketball Cop Foundation has shipped basketball hoops and balls to more than 27 different law enforcement agencies across the United States — not including the countless donations in the GPD’s hometown, of course. In Gainesville, the team is in its planning stages for a third basketball court and looking to organize the second annual High School All-Star Game, a match between the county’s top high school players and officers across Alachua County. If funds permit, the foundation wants to begin a police and youth mentoring initiative, too.
“As a police officer, it doesn’t take long to see how damaged the relationship is between our country’s law enforcement and the youth in their communities. There is distrust, misunderstanding and a lack of respect between the two. It’s why I have always done my part to try to repair that relationship with the kids that I interact with,” White wrote on the foundation site.
What were some other major milestones for the Basketball Cop Foundation and this basketball cop?
There have been outside organizations that now have a similar goal of unifying law enforcement and the community. Recently, Officer White was also invited to a Miami Dolphins game as a RISE guest speaker, to promote social progress through the power of sports. The NCAS also awarded him the Civic Leader Award, but that’s not what White is most proud of.
“I still work full-time as an officer and run the foundation on my weekends. …There are thousands upon thousands of people, organizations, corporations…who are touched and moved by what we are doing,” he said. “The reward is knowing that I am making a difference.”
Fundraising and time has still been a challenge. Unable to afford outside help, White and the GPD are pretty busy. How have their days been since that fateful January morning when the department received the first call?
“Thankfully, things are getting back to normal for most of us at the Gainesville Police Department. It was nice, especially during a time where tensions are high between police and the public, to get the spotlight on a positive police interaction,” said GPD Public Information Officer Ben Tobias, who has been busy speaking at several events, especially after Shaq and the Harlem Globetrotters came to town. “We continue to support Officer White and his efforts to bring police and the public closer together.”
And what is the most important thing White wants to focus on through his efforts? And what can you do to help?
“Trust is the foundation of every successful relationship. I believe that the relationship between the community and the police is a crucial one. I focus on the youth and earning their trust in an effort to make this relationship stronger going forward,” he said. “Just keep spreading the work of the foundation. The more people who see what we are doing, the bigger impact we can have on changing the perception that a large portion of the world has on the American police officer. Donate. I’ll do the rest.”
Will you help? The ball is in your court! Visit their website to learn more.
