Brownsville police officer plays basketball with local teens
[gtxvideo vid=”97rJj7gX” playlist=”” pid=”OTSe9U1y” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/97rJj7gX.jpg” vtitle=”Brownsville PD Basketball PKG”]
BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — A photo of a West Tennessee police officer has gone viral, getting nearly 8,000 likes on Facebook in a matter of days. “There was three people playing, so I just joined in with them and played a quick 2-on-2 game,” Patrolman Lance Chandler told WBBJ Friday. While Chandler hadn’t hit the court in a while, it definitely left an impact. “People go around saying officers are bad and stuff,” said Keterrian Currie, a Brownsville teen who played with Chandler. “I never came and had the chance to speak with an officer, but he changed my life when he showed me how good they were.” The photo has gotten a lot of attention online with thousands of likes on social media over just a couple of days. The Brownsville Police Department said it just goes to show something as simple as a pick-up basketball game can go a long way. “It’s not all about arresting people or writing tickets, which most people see us do,” Patrolman Adrian Perkins said. “It’s about interacting with the youth of this city, just trying to make the police and youth interacting come together as one.” “Those kids will go to their friends and tell them the story, and it might change their perspective on how to perceive law enforcement,” Chandler said. Pamela Nichols, who posted the photo to social media, said this is what their community needs to see. “Everything is not bad, and it’s time to bring our good parts out about what’s going on in our community,” Nichols said. “If we do it like this, we all can get along.”
