Shaquille O’Neal Hired as a Cop, Plans to Run for Sheriff in 2020

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal was recently hired as an auxiliary deputy by The Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

In a tweet posted Friday, the department said:

“Basketball legend @SHAQ goes by many nicknames, and now added to that list is Deputy Shaq. The big man now works as an auxiliary deputy with the #BSO. Sheriff Tony sat down with Shaq, and the two talked about the different ways law enforcement works to keep communities safe.”

Basketball legend @SHAQ goes by many nicknames, and now added to that list is Deputy Shaq. The big man now works as an auxillary deputy with the #BSO. Sheriff Tony sat down with Shaq and the two talked about the different ways law enforcement works to keep communities safe. pic.twitter.com/H8j2lwUm0B

— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) March 15, 2019

This may seem unusual, but Shaq actually has honorary police officer jobs all over the country. The former basketball star has positions with police departments in Georgia, California, Arizona and Florida, and he presumably has residences in each state.

Shaq has said he plans to run for sheriff in Henry County, Georgia in 2020. Shaq told Business Insider he hopes to bridge the divide between the police and the community if he becomes Sheriff.

“When I was in LA, I went through a full-fledged police academy, so I know the hard work and dedication that these guys put in to keep people safe. Me running for sheriff — I’ve felt, over the past couple of years, there’s been a disconnect from the community and police. So, the community that I’m in – I’m definitely gonna try to bring that back together.”

Shaq seemed to suggest that he would try to change the heavy handed tactics that have made police increasingly unpopular in recent years.

“I would try to bring back community policing. When I was coming up, there was a cop in my neighborhood. Everybody knew him. He was a fair guy. Like, he’d catch you stealing gum and he’d tap you. “Hey, man get outta here.” You know, we needed that. Then, you’d have Mrs. Jones be like, “Hey, Officer so-and-so. The kids are down there fighting.”And then he’d go down there and break it up. So, I would definitely try to introduce that back.”

“We are definitely more divided than ever. That’s why, whenever I’m out there, I just try to ease people’s tension. We need more togetherness. We need more joyfulness. That’s why I always try to just make people laugh because there’s a lot going on — a lot of craziness going on and you would think, in 2017, we would be much more advanced, but it seems like we’re going backwards.”

In the cheesy promo video below, Shaq kisses a badge and says “I love the badge.”