You don't want to mess with this reserve officer
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 6, 2006 12:00 AM

We're not sure what we should call Shaquille O'Neal anymore.

The Big Gumshoe?

Cap Daddy?

The Man?

Maybe we'll just go with what we call all law enforcement officers as we're reaching for the license and registration: "Sir."

See, when Shaq is patrolling the paint tonight against the Suns at US Airways Center, he really will be patrolling the paint.

He's officially a reserve Maricopa County sheriff's officer, sworn in by Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday night after touring Tent City at the Estrella Jail.

"I'm making you a captain," Arpaio told O'Neal, showing him the badge.

O'Neal's eyes lit up as if somebody just told him Pat Riley was calling off practice. Forever.

"Captain?" O'Neal asked, grinning.

Arpaio also handed over a pair of pink boxer shorts with "Go Joe" embossed, along with a copy of his book, America's Toughest Sheriff.

Turns out, O'Neal had already read it. As you may recall, he's serious about being a sheriff in a Florida or California county when he retires from the NBA.

He has taken 1,200 hours of police training, has gone through the police academy in Los Angeles and worked with the U.S. Marshals Office and the Miami Beach Police Department, for whom he's also a reserve officer.

And he's a Superman fan, of course.

"My chief gave me a copy of Sheriff Arpaio's book," O'Neal said. "Magic Johnson told me once to meet people, talk to them, and I've been fortunate to meet a lot of famous people. In law enforcement, Sheriff Arpaio is famous. He's a great sheriff, one of the best."

O'Neal said he'd never seen anything like Tent City before, and it was evident the inmates hadn't seen too many 7-foot-1, 330-pound (less if Riley gets his way) NBA stars. They held out scraps of paper, envelopes and Sheriff Joe's postcards to get his autograph.

Interestingly, some of them asked for Arpaio's signature, too.

"I get that all the time," he said.

We told Arpaio that O'Neal had already read the book, which surprised him only a little bit.

"It's a pretty good book," Arpaio said. "I'm thinking of writing another one. That one's nine years old."

The next title?

"Probably America's Oldest Sheriff," he cracked.

Anyway, Arpaio said O'Neal "personifies what an athlete should be" in the community because of his work with police organizations, and he promised to endorse the Big Fella's run for sheriff when the time comes.

"I'm going to back him, as long as it's not in this county," Arpaio said, looking up at O'Neal. "If you run, run somewhere else."

Meanwhile, O'Neal is now among Arpaio's sworn volunteers, and the sheriff has found creative ways to use them.

However, he hasn't decided exactly how he'll use Shaq.

No problem. We've got an idea.

In Miami, O'Neal has worked with a special victims unit, looking for child predators online. We've seen those stings where police pose as kids in chat rooms and such and lure in the perpetrators.

Now, wouldn't it be fun to watch the video when one of those losers knocks on the door expecting to take advantage of some little kid, only to find the Long Arm of the Law waiting on the other side - with a Superman tattoo on the biceps.


www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/articles/0106p2main0106.html#

Cool

Oh, this is not going to end well...

my favorite line from him was when he got his West coast chopper- he took it for a ride and a guy comes up to look at it he sez something like" watchya think of the bike"  guy responds "its HOT" Shaq sez "say it again" response "its hot..."




....I like shiny things too

He's gonna shoot a dog then slam dunk it.

Quoted: Oh, this is not going to end well...

He's already had like two reserve comissions before.  One for sure in Virginia.  He's not going to be out there responding to bank robberies.  Mostly doing things like going to schools, working with kids, the being a positvie role model type thing.

Welcome to last year!

Wasn't the jail there where H.I. did time in the movie "Raising Arizona"?

Quoted: You don't want to mess with this reserve officer Bob Young The Arizona Republic Jan. 6, 2006 12:00 AM We're not sure what we should call Shaquille O'Neal anymore. The Big Gumshoe? Cap Daddy? The Man? Maybe we'll just go with what we call all law enforcement officers as we're reaching for the license and registration: "Sir." See, when Shaq is patrolling the paint tonight against the Suns at US Airways Center, he really will be patrolling the paint. He's officially a reserve Maricopa County sheriff's officer, sworn in by Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday night after touring Tent City at the Estrella Jail. "I'm making you a captain," Arpaio told O'Neal, showing him the badge. O'Neal's eyes lit up as if somebody just told him Pat Riley was calling off practice. Forever. "Captain?" O'Neal asked, grinning. Arpaio also handed over a pair of pink boxer shorts with "Go Joe" embossed, along with a copy of his book, America's Toughest Sheriff. Turns out, O'Neal had already read it. As you may recall, he's serious about being a sheriff in a Florida or California county when he retires from the NBA. He has taken 1,200 hours of police training, has gone through the police academy in Los Angeles and worked with the U.S. Marshals Office and the Miami Beach Police Department, for whom he's also a reserve officer. And he's a Superman fan, of course. "My chief gave me a copy of Sheriff Arpaio's book," O'Neal said. "Magic Johnson told me once to meet people, talk to them, and I've been fortunate to meet a lot of famous people. In law enforcement, Sheriff Arpaio is famous. He's a great sheriff, one of the best." O'Neal said he'd never seen anything like Tent City before, and it was evident the inmates hadn't seen too many 7-foot-1, 330-pound (less if Riley gets his way) NBA stars. They held out scraps of paper, envelopes and Sheriff Joe's postcards to get his autograph. Interestingly, some of them asked for Arpaio's signature, too. "I get that all the time," he said. We told Arpaio that O'Neal had already read the book, which surprised him only a little bit. "It's a pretty good book," Arpaio said. "I'm thinking of writing another one. That one's nine years old." The next title? "Probably America's Oldest Sheriff, biggest media whore" he cracked. /0106p2main0106.html#]www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/articles/0106p2main0106.html#

fixed it for ya Joe.

He has taken 1,200 hours of police training, has gone through the police academy in Los Angeles and worked with the U.S. Marshals Office and the Miami Beach Police Department, for whom he's also a reserve officer.

I think he might know what he's doing.