Basketball Hall Of Famer's Shop With A Cop Program Helps Build Trust Between Police And Kids
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas, Irving, and Plano law enforcement officers are spreading holiday cheer to 75 local young people at Under Armour's NorthPark store.
Angela Shaw, Assistant Chief of the Dallas Police Department, said, "Getting to purchase items for the children is amazing. It allows us to have discussions we wouldn't have on a normal day."
Basketball Hall Of Famer Nancy Lieberman hopes this becomes the norm. Her annual Shop With A Cop program is designed to ease distrust towards those who wear a badge.
T.J. Cline, Nancy Lieberman's son, explains, "It's good for them to get a one on one interaction and understand each cop and each kid are different." A young kid adds "I used to be scared of them and I'm not scared of them anymore."
It's a shoe-in to build confidence in youth at the same time. Nancy says "I was that kid. I knew when someone did give me something it made me happy."
For Lieberman, everyday is a chance to impact future generations. This includes breaking ground on her 100th Dream Court, which will be a slam dunk in Frisco. She says her calling is "to be able to help children who need a hand up. I needed that hand up and I know what it fees like."
Picture how things will be if more people adopt the same philosophy.