Three police officers in Ohio are being praised after using their own money to buy a new basketball net for some neighbourhood kids, after noticing the one they were using didn’t have a backboard.
Officers Drew Jones, Jeremy Ohl and Travis Moyers with the Lockland Police Department were working Friday night when they noticed a group of kids playing basketball on a ramshackle net.
“The basketball hoop was missing a backboard and was not in operable shape at all,” Sergeant Chris Bundren told NBC4 News in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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“The officers stopped and talked to the kids, who said they loved playing basketball but if they missed the hoop they would have to chase the ball due to the poor nature of the hoop and the lack of the backboard.”
So the three patrol officers decided to pool their own money, go to a nearby store, and buy a new net for the kids. They then assembled the net over the remainder of their shift while responding to calls in the community north of Cincinnati.
Burden said the officers left the net with a note that said “Enjoy.”
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Local news station WXIX-TV met up with the officers and the children the next day, when the three cops went to see whether the kids noticed their surprise.
They had, and a game of pickup basketball involving officers and kids soon developed.