Sheriff Shaquille O'Neal: Cavs Center to be Special Deputy?
CLEVELAND (CBS/AP) Cleveland internet pedophiles had better watch out! They may soon have a new foe and he is over seven feet tall.
Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal is looking to continue his sideline career in law enforcement in the Midwest now that the NBA star is playing professional basketball in Ohio.
Did we mention deputy Shaq could be carrying a gun?
Records obtained by The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland show the county sheriff wants to make the Cavs' new recruit a special deputy.
While O'Neal would not be a paid or formal employee of the sheriff's department, the new commission would give Shaq the right to carry a gun and make arrests in the city.
O'Neal wants to work with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children task force, according to the Plain Dealer.
The group hunts child predators online.
Shaq previously served with law enforcement agencies in Arizona, Virginia and Florida, where he was a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department.
The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy is considering the request to deputize O'Neal.
Holly Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General, says if O'Neal is approved he'd have six months to undergo 36 hours of police training and would have to take the Ohio police exam.