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Meet Basketball Cop.

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 people who do extraordinary things on

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“The call came from outside my normal patrol zone.

I took it because we were really busy, and I sensed an opportunity. 

A lot of kids are nervous around cops because of what they’ve seen.

The relationship between youth and law enforcement isn’t where

 it should be. I saw the call and thought, ‘Perfect — this is the

 opportunity.’”

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In January 2016, Gainesville police officer Bobby White

 responded to a call that changed his life. After someone 

complained of a group of teenagers playing basketball “loudly” 

in the street, White drove to the scene.

The kids froze when Officer White rolled up, stepped out of his

 patrol car, and started walking toward them.

“Can you believe someone’s calling and complaining about kids

 playing basketball in the streets? I don’t know who called, but 

obviously I ain’t got a problem with it,” said White as he grabbed

 the ball and aimed at the hoop.

Then, they started to play. Other kids from the street joined in.

 Ten minutes later when White left, eight kids had joined in — 

and his dashboard camera had caught it all on tape.

Little did White know, the Gainesville PD’s Public Information

 Officer decided to post the video on the department’s Facebook

 page with the hashtag #HoopsNotCrime. Views began rolling 

in. Six hours later, the video hit one million views and kept 

climbing — all the way to 17 million.

Officer White—aka “Basketball Cop”—became an overnight

 sensation but insisted that what he did was no big deal. “This

 is what cops do every day. It’s not out of the ordinary. If you

 look for it, you’ll see it.”

White began giving interviews, and people started sending

 basketball equipment to the department. That’s when he

 realized that with the attention came a valuable opportunity…

He had a chance to change the relationship between

 police officers and youth across the country.

Officer White’s first step was to start a GoFundMe for the

 aptly named Basketball Cop Foundation. Donations helped

 White set up the nonprofit as a registered 501c3, build two 

pro-size basketball courts for Gainesville youth, and send 

portable hoops and basketballs to 28 police departments

 across the country.

“I always drive around with a basketball and football in the

 trunk of my patrol car so I can get out and interact with kids

in a positive way,” said White. “That’s the power of sports. 

Sports teams are diverse, and they work together toward a 

common goal. That’s how we want to be.

“For under $200, we can send out a portable hoop 

and basketballs. That gets 30 cops and 50 kids 

playing together. The number of police officer-child 

relationships we can build is only limited by money.”

In addition to the basketball courts and hoops, White’s 

foundation has helped officers hand out backpacks, school 

supplies, and even Christmas gifts to local kids — all distributed

 from the trunks of patrol cars.

Officer White did all this with just $20,000 raised from

 generous donors across the country. Now a year later, he’s 

ready to do even more.

Officer White and the original #HoopsNotCrime crew 

at the court his foundation built for them.

Media attention has brought White new friends and fans

 (like basketball legend Shaq) as well as opportunities to

 share his vision of building positive police-youth relationships, 

including an invitation to speak at the recent NBA All-Star

 Game. But White’s number one priority is still the 

kids in his community — including the original 

#HoopsNotCrime crew.

The viral video was not the end of their story. Officer White

 and the kids remain very close. They play ball, share 

updates, and the kids even text White when they need help

 or advice. On a typical day you can find White completing 

his rounds, updating Basketball Cop Foundation’s social

media, and teaching his #HoopsNotCrime friend Tyree how

 to drive.

Recently, White organized the foundation’s second annual 

High School All-Star Game, with the top high school players

 in Gainesville competing against the top police officers 

from the department. Community members and the 

#HoopsNotCrime crew cheered players on from the

 packed stands as they played, joked, and competed side-by-side.

Basketball Cop Foundation’s second annual High School

 All-Star Game on March 10, 2017.

But Bobby White’s not done yet. A year before he became the

 Basketball Cop, White stepped out of his car, pulled a

 football from his trunk, and played catch with a

 two-year-old named Duke. Something just clicked, and 

they’ve been inseparable since. White and Becki Holcomb —

 his girlfriend and fellow officer — think of Duke, his siblings, 

and his mother as their second family.

“I’ll be honest — I grew up poor, my mom was addicted to

 drugs, and we moved from boyfriend to boyfriend,” said

 White. “I didn’t have a positive male figure in my life.

 Neither does Duke, but I want to be that for him. I told

 his mom I’ll be there when he graduates high school and

 goes to college. These are the relationships I want to build

 across the country.”

Officer White’s goal? To challenge 100 cops every

 year to go out in their community and find a

 Duke. To have a “basketball cop” in every police agency

 in the country. To help officers and kids connect,

 empathize, and thrive. To heal the divide between police

 and the community.

Learn how you can support the Basketball Cop Foundation.

If Officer White’s story inspires you, please ❤ and share.

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Change someone’s life — and your own. Start a GoFundMe.

Photos by Matt Pendleton Photography.
Special thanks to Officer White (aka Basketball Cop), the

 #HoopsNotCrime crew, and the Gainesville community.