duncan228
11-22-2009, 02:41 PM
Shaquille O'Neal may need more training to get deputy badge, state says (http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/11/shaquille_oneal_wont_be_deputy.html)
By Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal is having a tougher time becoming a lawman in Cleveland than he did in Arizona, Florida or Virginia.
O'Neal served as a deputy sheriff in other cities where he played in his NBA career, but some of those posts were largely ceremonial. If he wants to carry a gun and sheriff's badge in Cuyahoga County, he might have to hit the books.
The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy is reviewing O'Neal's qualifications, but it looks as though he will need more training -- much more than an officer who moved to Ohio from out of state -- to be certified, said Holly Hollingsworth, spokeswoman for the state attorney general.
"It appears that Mr. O'Neal will need to undergo substantial additional training as well as successful completion of the state certification examination before he can become a certified peace officer in the state of Ohio," Hollingsworth said.
O'Neal would not be allowed to carry a gun and make arrests without that training, she added.
Last month, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid notified the state academy, which determines officers' eligibility, that he intends to deputize O'Neal if approved by the state.
If the state determined that O'Neal's training was sufficient, he would have needed to complete 30 of hours of police training within six months and take the Ohio police examination to maintain the appointment, along with passing a shooting test, Hollingsworth said.
Reid said the NBA star wants the state certification to work with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children task force. The Sheriff's Office submitted additional paperwork from Arizona to the state last week for O'Neal.
"We're going to see if this helps," Reid said Friday. "At the end of the day, it's [the academy's] call."
O'Neal was at the sheriff's shooting range in the Justice Center last week blasting targets. He may have a hard time hitting free throws on the hardwood, but the 7-foot-1 center passed the test. Reid also said those scores and O'Neal's fingerprints were submitted to the state.
If O'Neal is certified, he would be classified as a special deputy -- people who are given a commission with arrest powers and authority to carry a firearm. But unlike traditional deputies, special deputies are not paid and do not typically work in a formal capacity for the county sheriff.
Most sheriffs use them to supplement their ranks for special events. The rosters are usually filled by retired officers who use the commission to work private security jobs.
By Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal is having a tougher time becoming a lawman in Cleveland than he did in Arizona, Florida or Virginia.
O'Neal served as a deputy sheriff in other cities where he played in his NBA career, but some of those posts were largely ceremonial. If he wants to carry a gun and sheriff's badge in Cuyahoga County, he might have to hit the books.
The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy is reviewing O'Neal's qualifications, but it looks as though he will need more training -- much more than an officer who moved to Ohio from out of state -- to be certified, said Holly Hollingsworth, spokeswoman for the state attorney general.
"It appears that Mr. O'Neal will need to undergo substantial additional training as well as successful completion of the state certification examination before he can become a certified peace officer in the state of Ohio," Hollingsworth said.
O'Neal would not be allowed to carry a gun and make arrests without that training, she added.
Last month, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid notified the state academy, which determines officers' eligibility, that he intends to deputize O'Neal if approved by the state.
If the state determined that O'Neal's training was sufficient, he would have needed to complete 30 of hours of police training within six months and take the Ohio police examination to maintain the appointment, along with passing a shooting test, Hollingsworth said.
Reid said the NBA star wants the state certification to work with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children task force. The Sheriff's Office submitted additional paperwork from Arizona to the state last week for O'Neal.
"We're going to see if this helps," Reid said Friday. "At the end of the day, it's [the academy's] call."
O'Neal was at the sheriff's shooting range in the Justice Center last week blasting targets. He may have a hard time hitting free throws on the hardwood, but the 7-foot-1 center passed the test. Reid also said those scores and O'Neal's fingerprints were submitted to the state.
If O'Neal is certified, he would be classified as a special deputy -- people who are given a commission with arrest powers and authority to carry a firearm. But unlike traditional deputies, special deputies are not paid and do not typically work in a formal capacity for the county sheriff.
Most sheriffs use them to supplement their ranks for special events. The rosters are usually filled by retired officers who use the commission to work private security jobs.